Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Honestly, this might not be popular advice, but consider whether this battle is worth fighting right now. Yes, your parents are 100% in the wrong, but you need to weigh the financial benefit against the family drama. If your scholarships and financial aid are at stake, then absolutely fight for yourself. But if the difference is just your tax refund, sometimes it's better to let this year go and make sure they understand they absolutely cannot claim you next year. When I was in a similar situation, I decided to let my parents claim me one last year (even though I didn't qualify as their dependent) because they were still helping with some expenses. I made it crystal clear that it was a one-time thing and documented everything for the next year.
The financial aid is the big issue here. If they claim me, I lose about $12,000 in grants and scholarships because on paper it looks like my family can contribute when they absolutely won't. So it's not just about the tax refund - it's about being able to continue my education.
In that case, you absolutely need to fight this. $12,000 in financial aid is way too much to give up. Follow the advice about filing your own return correctly and gathering all your documentation. Make sure you have proof of your living situation, all bills you pay, and school expenses. Contact your school's financial aid office immediately and explain the situation. Some schools have procedures for handling cases where parents claim students against their will and won't contribute financially. They may have special forms or processes for dependency overrides in their financial aid calculations.
Sean Murphy
From personal experience, your parents might not understand how serious this is. Send them an official-looking letter (certified mail) explaining that wrongfully claiming a dependent is tax fraud punishable by penalties of up to $5,000 plus 75% of the additional tax they received from falsely claiming you. Sometimes seeing it in writing makes it real. Keep a copy of everything for your records. Be prepared that this might permanently damage your relationship with them, but it sounds like they're not respecting your independence anyway.
Zara Khan
ā¢This approach can definitely backfire though. My cousin did something similar, and it just made his parents double down and get defensive. They felt like they were being threatened and it made the whole situation worse. Sometimes a more personal approach works better - maybe get another family member they respect to explain how serious this is?
Join the conversation
My CPA told me that meal donations specifically for charitable events fall under the enhanced deduction rules if: 1) The organization is a qualified 501(c)(3) 2) The food meets specific quality standards 3) The organization doesn't transfer the food for money 4) You get proper documentation The deduction can be cost basis + 1/2 of appreciated value, up to 2x cost. But if you're getting promotional value as a sponsor, that complicates things because you need to separate the pure donation from the business expense portion.
This is really detailed, thanks! Do you know if there's a specific form or documentation we need from the charity to prove this was a legitimate donation? My boss is very particular about having everything properly documented.
You'll need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the 501(c)(3) that includes: - Description of donated items - Date of contribution - Statement that no goods or services were provided in return OR a good faith estimate of the value of any goods/services provided to you (like the sponsorship recognition) For larger donations (over $250), this documentation is absolutely required to claim the deduction. If your donation was over $5,000, you might also need to file Form 8283.
Emily Sanjay
Has anyone considered the "de minimis fringe benefit" angle? If employees attended the event and the meal could be considered a benefit to them, that opens up a whole different section of the tax code (Section 132). My business provided meals at a charity golf tournament and our accountant was able to deduct part as charitable contribution and part as employee benefit expense.
That's a really interesting approach I hadn't thought about. I wonder if that would work if only a few employees attended but the meals were for all event attendees? Seems like it might only apply to the portion consumed by your employees.
Join the conversation
Ava Johnson
This happened to me back in 2022. It turned out it was from my tax preparation software (TurboTax in my case). I had chosen to have their fee taken out of my refund, so they sent the remainder in two separate transactions for some reason. Check if you paid for tax prep with your refund - might explain it!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I did use H&R Block and had their fees taken out of my refund, so that definitely could explain it. I just thought it was weird that it didn't have their name in the transaction description. I'll check tomorrow to see if I get the rest of my refund as scheduled. Fingers crossed it all works out!
Miguel Diaz
One thing no one has mentioned - if you owe any federal or state debts (like old student loans, child support, etc), the IRS can take part of your refund to pay those. It's called a "Treasury offset" and they sometimes send the remaining amount in weird partial payments. Might be worth checking if you have any outstanding federal debts?
Zainab Ahmed
ā¢This is what happened to me! Had a forgotten old state tax bill from when I moved, and they took part of my federal refund to cover it. The IRS sends a letter explaining the offset but it usually arrives AFTER the weird deposit shows up.
I don't think I have any outstanding debts, at least nothing I'm aware of. I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow if I get the rest of my refund or not. And I'll keep an eye out for any letters from the IRS explaining what happened.
Join the conversation
Tyrone Hill
Quick thought - have you checked if your employers offer any tax preparation benefits? My company offers discounted tax prep through a partnership with H&R Block. Got my taxes done last year with multiple 1099s for only $350. Worth checking your benefits portal!
Harmony Love
ā¢I hadn't even thought of that! Great idea, I'll check with HR tomorrow. We do have a pretty decent benefits package at my main employer, so there might be something there. Thanks for the suggestion!
I was in a similar situation (married, home purchase, remote work) and ended up using a CPA for one year to learn the ropes, then did it myself after. Paid $850 in a HCOL area. The CPA taught me what to track throughout the year which made future filings much easier. My advice? Get more quotes, aim for someone in the $800-1000 range. Use them this year to set up a good system, then decide if you want to continue with them or DIY next year.
I did exactly this and it worked well. Had the CPA show me what documentation to keep for the home office deductions especially. Now I just use FreeTaxUSA and it's easy.
Dmitry Petrov
Just to add some clarity on the "Basis of Contribution" vs "Basis of Conversion" since people seem confused: Basis of Contribution = Total amount you've directly contributed to your Roth IRA with after-tax dollars (your $6,350) Basis of Conversion = If you converted Traditional IRA/401k money to Roth, this is the portion that you already paid tax on (your non-deductible contributions to the Traditional account) The tax software needs this info to track your tax-free withdrawal eligibility down the road.
0 coins
StarSurfer
ā¢Does the basis of contribution reset each year? Or do I need to keep a running total forever? It seems weird that I'd need to remember contributions from like 10+ years ago.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
ā¢You need to keep a running lifetime total of your Roth IRA contributions. It doesn't reset each year. This is really important for tracking your tax-free withdrawal eligibility. The IRS doesn't provide an annual statement showing your cumulative basis, so it's on you to maintain those records. I'd recommend keeping copies of all your Roth IRA contribution confirmations and tax returns in a safe place. You might need this information decades from now when you start taking withdrawals.
0 coins
Ava Martinez
I'm confused about something - do we even need to report Roth IRA contributions on our tax return? I thought Roth contributions aren't tax deductible so the IRS doesn't need to know about them unless you're claiming the Savers Credit. Am I missing something?
0 coins
Miguel Castro
ā¢You generally don't need to report Roth IRA contributions on your tax return UNLESS: 1) You're claiming the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit (Saver's Credit) 2) You made excess contributions that need to be corrected 3) You're filling out Form 8606 for other reasons (like backdoor Roth conversions) H&R Block might be asking just to check if you qualify for the Saver's Credit or to identify potential contribution limit issues.
0 coins