This is super helpful to read everyone's experiences! I'm in almost the exact same boat - filed 2/8, got the mysterious ID verification that disappeared on its own after about 10 days, and was told 9 weeks when I called. Reading all these responses gives me hope that it'll be much sooner than that. The fact that so many people are experiencing the same auto-reversal thing makes me think there's definitely something new with their system this year. I'm going to start checking my transcript more regularly for that 846 code everyone mentioned. Thanks for sharing your timeline - it really helps to know what others have gone through!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed 2/4, got hit with the mysterious ID verification around 2/12, and then it just vanished on its own last Friday. Called yesterday and got the same 9-week spiel from the agent. It's so reassuring to see all these similar experiences and timelines - especially hearing that most people got their refunds way earlier than quoted. The auto-reversal thing seems to be happening to a lot of us this year. I'm definitely going to start obsessively checking my transcript for that 846 code now! Thanks for posting this - it gives me so much hope that I won't actually be waiting until mid-April for my refund.

Quick question for anyone who's done this before - do I need to attach my wife's ITIN application to my actual tax return if I'm filing electronically? Or do I need to mail everything?

I went through this exact situation two years ago when I married my Canadian wife while we were both living in Toronto. Even though I was filing separately and she had zero US income, the IRS absolutely requires you to identify your spouse on your return - you can't leave it blank. The key thing to understand is that when you select "married filing separately" status, the IRS system needs to verify that person exists in their database, which requires either an SSN or ITIN. It's not about tax benefits - it's about identifying who your spouse is for tax purposes. For the W-7 application from abroad, you'll want to use Exception 1(d) as mentioned earlier. The documentation requirements are different when you're overseas - you don't need proof of US entry. Her passport should be sufficient as primary identification. I'd strongly recommend using a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) at your nearest US embassy or consulate rather than mailing original documents. They can verify her identity documents on the spot, which is much safer and faster than mailing her passport internationally. One important note: you'll need to paper file your return with the W-7 attached - no e-filing when applying for a first-time ITIN. Plan extra time for processing since everything goes through regular mail.

I had this exact situation last month! Here's what I learned: • No codes doesn't always mean no adjustments • Some adjustments happen silently at first • WMR updates AFTER transcripts in most cases • Small adjustments (under $25) sometimes happen without notice • Larger adjustments require a formal notice Anyone else notice that the IRS seems to be processing returns differently this year? My return was accepted February 2nd and I just got my deposit yesterday.

I understand your anxiety about the refund - I'm in a similar boat with my amended return! From what I've learned lurking in this community, the general rule is that no specific hold codes (like TC 570, 971, etc.) on your transcript usually means you're in the clear, but it's not 100% guaranteed. One thing that helped ease my mind was checking both my Account Transcript AND my Record of Account Transcript. Sometimes adjustments show up on one before the other. Also, if you amended paperwork, those typically take 16-20 weeks to process completely, so there's still time for codes to appear. Have you tried calling the Practitioner Priority Service line if you have a PTIN? I've heard it has shorter wait times than the regular taxpayer line. Otherwise, just keep monitoring your transcripts weekly - any major adjustments should show up there first before hitting your refund amount. Fingers crossed we both get our full amounts! 🤞

As someone who works as a tax preparer, PLEASE DO NOT try to claim your girlfriend. Her income is too high anyway, but more importantly, attempting to claim someone who's legally married to someone else is a huge red flag. I've seen the IRS come after people for less. Just file Head of Household with your son as your dependent, take the child tax credit if he qualifies, and leave your girlfriend's tax situation separate.

I'm going through a similar situation with my partner who's been separated for years but not legally divorced. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like your girlfriend's income of $11,000 would disqualify her anyway since the limit for qualifying relatives is around $5,000. Even if her income was lower, the marriage complication makes this risky. I'd definitely recommend following the advice about just filing Head of Household with your son - that's already a significant tax advantage compared to filing single, and you'll get the child tax credit too. If you really want a definitive answer about your specific situation, it might be worth using one of those services mentioned to get through to an actual IRS agent. But honestly, it sounds like the safest and most beneficial approach is to keep things simple and just claim your son while filing HOH. The tax savings from that status change alone should be substantial.

Has anyone found a good way to track foreign taxes throughout the year? I always get surprised by how much foreign tax I've paid when tax forms arrive in January. Trying to stay under that $300 threshold.

This is a really helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation where I have about $450 in foreign taxes from my Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund. I was also confused about why my tax software was showing different results when I experimented with the amounts. What I learned from my tax preparer is that the Form 1116 limitation formula can be especially harsh if you have a lot of domestic income relative to your foreign dividend income. In my case, the foreign dividends were only about 2% of my total income, so the limitation calculation really reduced my available credit. One thing that helped me understand this better was looking at the actual Form 1116 instructions and working through the calculation manually. The limitation is designed to prevent you from using foreign tax credits to offset U.S. taxes on U.S. income, which makes sense conceptually but can be frustrating when you see that full credit amount sitting there unused. For anyone dealing with this, make sure you're also checking if you can carry forward any unused foreign tax credits to future years - that's on Form 1116 as well and could help recover some of that "lost" credit over time.