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 – 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 thing to watch out for - make sure the estimated payments were actually credited to the correct tax year. I once had an issue where one of my Q4 payments accidentally got applied to the next tax year instead of the current one. In FreeTaxUSA, double check the year designation when entering your payments. Also, keep in mind that if you paid state estimated taxes too, those are handled separately in the state return section. The federal section only deals with federal estimated payments.
Thanks for mentioning this! How would I know if a payment was applied to the wrong year? I made my Q4 payment in January 2024 but it was for tax year 2023. Should I be concerned?
If you made your Q4 payment in January 2024 but intended it for tax year 2023, you should be fine as long as you designated it correctly when making the payment. The IRS form/payment system usually asks you which tax year the payment is for. To verify this, you can check your payment confirmation from when you made the payment. It should indicate the tax year. If you're still concerned, you can create an online account at IRS.gov and view your payment history, which shows which tax year each payment was applied to. Just make sure when entering in FreeTaxUSA that you include this payment with your 2023 estimated payments, even though you made it in 2024.
Has anyone else noticed that FreeTaxUSA sometimes doesn't clearly show where to enter quarterly payments? I was clicking around forever trying to find it! For anyone else confused, go to the "Payments" section and look for "Federal Estimated Tax Payments" - that's where you'll enter each quarterly payment.
Their interface is definitely not the most intuitive. I found it by using the search feature at the top - just type "estimated payments" and it should take you directly to that section. Saved me a ton of time hunting through menus!
Join the conversation
Just wanted to add - make sure you check if you qualify for "reasonable cause" relief. My mother was hospitalized last tax season and I missed my extended deadline by 3 weeks. I wrote a letter explaining the situation, included some documentation, and the IRS waived all penalties. They're actually more understanding than people think if you have a legitimate reason and documentation.
Do you have any tips for what counts as "reasonable cause"? Would my scenario qualify? And did you just include the letter with your late return or file first and then send the letter separately?
Reasonable cause includes things like serious illness, death in the family, natural disasters, or inability to access records. Your family emergency might qualify depending on the specifics. The more documentation you can provide, the better. I filed my return first (to stop additional penalties from accruing) and then sent the reasonable cause letter separately. I referenced my return and included my tax ID number. Keep the letter concise but include specific dates and explain exactly how the situation prevented you from filing on time.
Honestly the IRS is surprisingly reasonable about this stuff. I missed my extension deadline by over a month last year and just filed as soon as I could. Turned out I was owed a refund so there were no penalties at all. Even if you do owe, first-time penalty abatement is pretty easy to get if you've been compliant in prior years. Don't stress too much - just file ASAP!
Not always true! My brother got hit with almost $1200 in penalties for missing his extended deadline last year. Depends a lot on your specific situation and how much you owe.
Join the conversation
Just want to add that your former employer is definitely feeding you BS. The IRS doesn't "send back" 1099s - that's not how it works at all. If he made a mistake, he needs to issue a corrected form, but the January 31 deadline still applies. I'd honestly just file an IRS Form 3949-A (Information Referral) to report him for not providing your tax documents on time. You can find it on the IRS website. Sometimes just mentioning this form to non-compliant employers gets them moving real quick!
Does filing that form actually work? I'm worried about creating bad blood with my former employer if I report them, but I also really need my tax documents.
Filing Form 3949-A definitely gets results in most cases. The IRS takes these reporting failures seriously because they affect tax compliance across the board. You can actually mention to your employer that you're considering filing this form before you actually do it - often just the knowledge that you're aware of your rights and the reporting process is enough to motivate them. As for creating bad blood, I understand the concern, but remember that they're legally required to provide these documents. You're just asking them to fulfill their legal obligation, not doing anything unreasonable. Your financial well-being and tax compliance shouldn't be compromised because they're dragging their feet.
Have you checked your online IRS account? Sometimes 1099s are already reported there even if your employer hasn't physically sent you a copy. Go to the IRS website and look at your wage and income transcript if you have an account set up. Might save you some headache!
I tried doing this but the IRS website is so confusing. Is there a specific section where I can find tax documents that have been filed? I created an account but can't find my way around.
Join the conversation
Another option nobody's mentioned - you could consider making a larger payment in Q1 (maybe 50% instead of 80%) and then spreading the rest across the remaining quarters. The IRS penalty calculation is cumulative, so being "caught up" by year-end can minimize penalties even if you're technically underpaid in early quarters. I had a similar situation last year with about 65% of my income in Q1, and I paid about 60% of my estimated tax then, and the rest equally over the remaining quarters. The small penalty was worth it for better cash flow throughout the year.
Does this actually work? Wouldn't you still get penalized for those early quarters where you didn't pay enough? I thought the penalty was calculated per quarter, not just at the end of the year.
The underpayment penalty is actually calculated for each quarter separately, but it's based on how much you're short for the required payment for that period. So you're right that you could face some penalty, but it's usually quite small. For me, the calculation worked out to a penalty of about $240 on a $120,000 income. That was worth it for me to maintain better cash flow throughout the year. It's really a business decision - pay the mathematically correct amount each quarter or pay a small penalty for the flexibility. Form 2210 will calculate the exact penalty amount.
Has anyone used the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) for making uneven payments? I'm thinking about setting up payments now for the whole year, with a much larger one for Q1, but I'm not sure if the system allows scheduling different amounts.
Yep, EFTPS works great for this! I use it and you can definitely schedule different payment amounts for each quarter. You can even make extra payments anytime you want. The interface looks like it's from 1995, but it's actually really reliable.
Thanks for confirming! I'll set it up this weekend. Does it send reminders before the scheduled payments go through? I'm worried about forgetting and not having enough in my account when it processes.
Giovanni Mancini
22 Don't sleep on community colleges! My local CC offers a basic tax preparation course for like $175. I took it last year and learned so much practical info. The instructor was a retired IRS agent and gave us real-world scenarios to work through. Way more hands-on than just reading stuff online.
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
•1 That sounds perfect! Did the course cover self-employment taxes too? Also, was it a one-day thing or spread out over weeks?
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
•22 The course definitely covered self-employment taxes! That was actually a whole module where we learned about Schedule C, business deductions, home office rules, and self-employment tax calculations. It was really thorough. It was spread over 6 weeks with one 3-hour class per week, which was perfect for absorbing the information gradually. We'd learn concepts one week and then apply them with practice scenarios the next week. Much better than trying to cram everything into a weekend workshop. Most community colleges offer similar programs, especially between September and January before tax season starts.
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
9 For free resources, don't forget YouTube! I learned tons from "The Taxable Talk" channel. The guy breaks down complicated tax topics into simple 5-10 minute videos. Way less boring than reading IRS publications.
0 coins
Giovanni Mancini
•17 Any specific videos you'd recommend for someone just starting? There's so much content out there it's overwhelming.
0 coins