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
Jamal Harris
Former tax preparer here. One thing to consider is that if your parents have been going to the same person for years, that preparer might actually know important details about their financial history that could be relevant. When I had regular clients, I would often remember things like "oh, didn't you sell that property back in 2019? We should check the basis calculation" that they might forget. That said, $500 is definitely on the high end for a simple return. Maybe go with them to their appointment this year and see what the preparer actually does? You might get a better sense of whether they're getting value or being upsold on unnecessary services.
Mei Chen
ā¢Is there anything specific to watch for to know if they're getting their money's worth? What kinds of questions should I ask the preparer?
Jamal Harris
ā¢Watch for how much time they spend asking questions about your parents' situation - good preparers should be inquiring about life changes, medical expenses, charitable donations, and changes in income sources. They should explain why they're making certain choices on the return. Ask what specific deductions or credits they're applying that might be missed with self-filing. Also ask if there are any tax planning suggestions for next year - good preparers offer this. If they're just entering W-2s and a few 1099s without much discussion, your parents are probably overpaying.
I'm gonna be the devil's advocate here - just let your parents do what makes them comfortable. My mom insisted on paying $350 to Liberty Tax every year even though I showed her how simple her return was. I finally gave up and realized that for her, it wasn't about the money but about the comfort and routine. For that generation, taxes are scary, and the peace of mind is worth the cost. Maybe offer to split the difference - like suggest a cheaper tax service but don't push the completely free DIY option if they're resistant.
Amara Okafor
ā¢This! I tried forcing my dad to file online and he made a mistake that cost way more than what he would have paid a professional. Sometimes it's not worth the battle.
Join the conversation
You should check your driver app accounts too. Even if DoorDash/UberEats didn't mail you a 1099, they sometimes have tax documents available for download in your driver portal. Worth checking before you file.
Noah Ali
ā¢Thanks for the tip! I just checked both apps and you're right - UberEats had a tax summary in the driver portal even though they didn't send anything. It doesn't have a tax ID number but at least shows my exact earnings which helps. DoorDash didn't have anything though. Guess they really don't generate any documents for earnings under $600.
Emily Sanjay
Don't forget you can deduct mileage for all those deliveries! Standard rate was 67 cents per mile for 2024. Even with just $475 in income, the mileage deduction could potentially offset most of that.
Is it better to take the mileage deduction or actual car expenses (gas, maintenance, etc)? I never know which one gives you more money back.
Join the conversation
I switched from TurboTax to an accountant three years ago and never looked back. Yes, it's more expensive ($375 vs the $120 I paid for TurboTax), but my accountant finds deductions I didn't know existed. She's saved me at least $1500 each year. Just make sure you find someone with good reviews who specializes in your situation (self-employed, rental properties, whatever applies to you).
Do you meet with your accountant in person? And how early do you need to book them? I heard good accountants get fully booked way before April.
I started with in-person meetings but now we do everything electronically. I send her my documents through her secure portal, and we have a video call to discuss anything unusual about my tax situation that year. You're absolutely right about booking early. I contact her in January to get on her schedule, and even then she's getting busy. By March, she's not taking new clients for the current tax season. Good accountants definitely book up fast, so if you're considering one, don't wait until April!
Emma Wilson
I was in your exact situation last year. TurboTax said I owed $1850. I panicked and went to H&R Block thinking they'd find some magic deduction. They charged me $220 and I still owed $1750. Barely any difference. If your tax situation is simple, software probably isn't missing much.
QuantumLeap
ā¢That's my fear too. Did H&R Block charge you even though they didn't really help?
Join the conversation
Just to offer another perspective here: Your accountant might be partially right about the capital account benefit, but they're missing the bigger picture. When a business assumes a personal debt, it should be recorded as a liability of the business with a corresponding entry to your capital/equity account. What likely happened is that your accountant increased your capital account (correctly) but failed to record the liability on the business books (incorrectly). This artificially inflated your basis. Now when you want to pay off the loan, the business is essentially making a distribution to you because the liability isn't on the books. The proper correction would be to record the liability on the business books now (which would decrease your capital account) but then the debt payment would be a proper business expense, not a distribution. You might need to file Form 3115 to change accounting method rather than amending all previous returns. And yes, the ERC funds would absolutely increase your capital account and available business assets, so your accountant should be including those in the calculations.
Joy Olmedo
ā¢This explanation makes a lot of sense - thank you! So essentially, my accountant only did half the correct accounting (increasing my capital account) but missed recording the actual liability on the business books? If I understand correctly, I should be able to correct this going forward by properly recording the liability now, which would reduce my capital account but allow the business to pay off the debt as a legitimate business expense without triggering capital gains? Would this correction potentially trigger any penalties or raise audit flags?
You've got it exactly right. Your accountant increased your capital account but failed to record the corresponding liability on the business books, which created this imbalance. Correcting this going forward is possible by properly recording the liability now. This would reduce your capital account (essentially correcting the artificial inflation), but then allow the business to properly pay off the debt as a legitimate business expense without triggering capital gains or being treated as a distribution to you. This type of correction typically wouldn't trigger penalties if properly disclosed as an accounting method change using Form 3115. The IRS recognizes that accounting methods sometimes need correction, and they provide this form specifically for that purpose. It's considered a voluntary correction rather than something that raises audit flags. Include a clear explanation of the circumstances of the inheritance and how the debt was always intended to be a business obligation based on your agreement. Having good documentation of the original intent (like your contract with the family member) will strengthen your position if there are any questions.
Sasha Reese
I think there's confusion about what your accountant actually did. Based on your description, it sounds like they treated the original loan amount as an owner contribution (increasing your basis/capital account) but never recorded the loan as a business liability. Each payment the business made toward the loan was likely treated as a distribution to you. This isn't necessarily "wrong" from a tax perspective - it's just one way to handle it. The alternative would have been to record the loan as a business liability with no impact on your capital account. Then payments would be business expenses. If the business has been profitable and generating basis, those distributions might have been tax-free. But now that you want to pay it off completely, there could be issues if the distribution exceeds your current basis. I'd suggest getting a copy of the business balance sheet and your capital account statement to see exactly what's been recorded over the years. That would clarify what's actually happening here.
This makes sense, but wouldn't reclassifying the debt now as a business liability be better for tax purposes? Even if it means adjusting the capital account? I thought business interest expense was deductible while personal loan interest isn't (or is limited).
Omar Fawaz
Don't forget about depreciation recapture! Even if you can use your PALs, you'll still have to recapture the depreciation you took (or were required to take) during the rental period. That gets taxed at 25% rather than your normal capital gains rate.
0 coins
Chloe Martin
ā¢Is the depreciation recapture rate really 25%? I thought it was your ordinary income tax rate, but capped at 25%. So if your ordinary rate is lower than 25%, you'd pay the lower rate?
0 coins
Diego Rojas
Has anyone used TurboTax to handle this specific PAL situation? I'm in literally the exact same boat (property rented in 2020-2021, vacant in 2022, then sold) and I'm trying to figure out if TurboTax will walk me through this correctly or if I need to go to a CPA.
0 coins
Anastasia Sokolov
ā¢I used TurboTax last year for a similar situation. It does technically handle PALs, but I found it confusing. It asked a series of questions that didn't seem directly related to my situation, and I wasn't confident it was doing things right. Ended up going to a CPA who found several mistakes in what TurboTax had done. For something this specific, I'd recommend a tax pro.
0 coins