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
One aspect of Section 174 that often gets overlooked is the territorial issue. If your R&D is performed outside the US, you have to amortize over 15 years instead of 5 years. That's a HUGE difference for multinational companies. And the definition of "outside the US" can get tricky with remote workers. We have engineers in Canada and Mexico, and our tax advisor said those salaries must use the 15-year schedule even though they're working on the same projects as our US team.
Alicia Stern
ā¢What about hybrid workers who split time between US and international locations? We have several people who work 3 months abroad, 9 months in the US. How would you calculate that?
For hybrid workers splitting time between US and international locations, you'd need to track their time and allocate accordingly. For your example of someone working 3 months abroad and 9 months in the US, you'd allocate 25% of their R&D salary to the 15-year amortization schedule (foreign) and 75% to the 5-year schedule (domestic). Documentation is absolutely critical here. Make sure you have systems tracking where work is performed, not just where the employee's home base is. Some companies use IP address logging or formal documentation of work locations to support their allocations in case of audit.
Does anyone use software to track all this? Our accounting software doesn't seem equipped to handle these complex amortization schedules with different employees on different schedules. We're currently using a mess of spreadsheets and I'm worried we're going to make mistakes.
Drake
ā¢We use TaxMatrix Pro which has a decent R&D module. It's not perfect but it lets you set up different amortization schedules and track them year over year. The reporting is decent for tax time too.
Join the conversation
Tyrone Hill
I've been filing taxes for 20+ years and have only been audited once, despite being self-employed the entire time. It was actually not nearly as scary as I expected. They just wanted documentation for some larger business expenses, which I provided, and that was the end of it. No penalties, no additional taxes owed. The audit rate really is low for most people. Where you get into higher risk is if you have unusually large deductions compared to your income level, or if your business is primarily cash-based, or if you have unusually high charitable contributions.
Do you think it's worth paying for audit protection when using tax software? I always skip it because it seems like a waste of money given the low audit rates, but then I worry I'm being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Tyrone Hill
ā¢I personally don't think audit protection is worth it for most people. The services typically just offer to provide representation if you're audited, not to pay any additional taxes or penalties found to be owed. If you're keeping good records and not trying to push the boundaries with questionable deductions, you can usually handle a correspondence audit (the most common type) on your own by simply providing the requested documentation. I'd rather put that money toward a good bookkeeping system that helps me maintain proper records throughout the year.
Does anyone know if the 1% audit rate applies the same across all filing statuses? Like is there a difference between married filing jointly vs single filers? I'm recently divorced and filing single for the first time in 10 years, wondering if that increases my risk at all.
Filing status itself doesn't significantly impact audit rates. What matters more is your income level, sources of income, and deductions claimed. A change in filing status might cause a letter if there's a discrepancy in reporting between you and your ex-spouse regarding dependents or shared deductions, but it doesn't inherently increase audit risk.
Join the conversation
Joshua Wood
There's actually another option no one's mentioned yet. If it's just a 1099-INT for $325, the extra tax is probably small. The IRS has a system called CP2000 where they match documents reported to them against what you reported. If they catch the mismatch (which they likely will), they'll send you a notice proposing additional tax. You can just pay that amount when it comes rather than going through the amended return process.
Justin Evans
ā¢I wouldn't recommend waiting for a CP2000. They add penalties and interest from the original due date, and it could affect your credit if you don't respond promptly. Also looks bad if you're ever audited in the future since it shows a pattern of underreporting.
Joshua Wood
ā¢That's a fair point about the penalties and interest. I should have mentioned those potential costs. The penalties would likely be small on such a small amount of unreported income, but they do exist. You're right that responding to a CP2000 notice could be more stressful than just filing an amendment proactively. And while a single CP2000 notice doesn't automatically trigger an audit, multiple reporting discrepancies could potentially increase your chances of scrutiny in the future.
Emily Parker
Curious - does anyone know if you can just call the IRS directly and tell them about the mistake? Seems easier than filing a whole amended return for such a small amount.
Ezra Collins
ā¢No, they won't just "note your account" or anything like that. You need to file the 1040-X amendment. They're very specific about following proper procedures for corrections.
Join the conversation
Your brother should also check if he's eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit even with such low income. Sometimes you can actually get money back even if you don't owe any taxes. Might be worth looking into!
Sophia Long
ā¢Thanks for this suggestion! I'll definitely let him know about the EITC. Do you know what the minimum income requirement is to qualify? And would it matter that it's gig work rather than W-2 employment?
For the 2024 tax year (filing in 2025), a single person with no children needs at least $1 of earned income but cannot exceed around $17,640 to qualify for EITC. Yes, self-employment income (like from Doordash) does count as earned income for EITC purposes. The issue is that with only $230 in income, the credit would be very small, but still worth claiming if eligible.
Ella Lewis
I'm really confused by all this tax stuff... If your brother is broke with health issues and only made $230 all year, why even bother filing taxes at all? Isn't there some minimum before you need to file? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I'm just learning about taxes.
Not a stupid question! There is a filing threshold. For self-employment income like Doordash, you need to file if you made $400 or more. Since the brother made less than that ($230), he technically isn't required to file a tax return at all unless he has other reasons to file.
Natasha Orlova
I know this sounds annoying but you might wanna look into if someone close to you did this. When it happened to me it turned out my own parent had filed using my SSN without telling me because they thought they were "helping" since I was in college. Caused a huge mess that took months to untangle.
0 coins
Javier Cruz
ā¢I second this. My ex-roommate stole my W-2 from our mailbox and filed with my info. The IRS agent I spoke with said a surprising number of tax identity theft cases are people you know, not random hackers.
0 coins
Emma Wilson
Don't forget to check if your state taxes are affected too! I had my federal return stolen and assumed my state was fine until I got a notice about "my second state filing" months later. Had to go through a whole separate process with the state tax agency.
0 coins