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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!
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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.
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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!
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- 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 :)
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Naila Gordon
Former tax preparer here - a tip most people don't know: if you filed through ANY paid tax preparation service (H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, local CPA, etc.), they are required by law to keep copies of your returns for at least 3 years. Call the office where you filed, and they can print you a complete copy, usually for a small fee (typically $25-50). This is often faster than going through the IRS, especially during busy periods. Just bring ID when you pick it up since it's sensitive information.
I appreciate the tip! Unfortunately I used TurboTax and did it myself online, but I'm still trying to figure out their system to download old returns. Their website navigation is not very intuitive. Do you know if online services like TurboTax have the same 3-year retention policy?
Naila Gordon
ā¢Online services like TurboTax typically store your returns for even longer than 3 years - many keep them for 7+ years. The challenge is usually navigating their interface to find them. For TurboTax specifically, after logging in, click on your name in the top right corner, then "Tax Returns & Documents." From that screen, you should see all your past returns with a "Download/Print PDF" option. If you're still having trouble, their customer support can guide you through it - they're pretty responsive if you use their chat feature.
Cynthia Love
If you're really in a pinch, call the Spanish university's international student office directly. I had a similar issue with a UK university, and when I explained the situation, they were willing to accept alternative documentation (my W-2 forms combined with the transcript). Sometimes they just need to verify your income/employment and can be flexible about the exact format. Worth a try before you go through all the hassle with the IRS!
This is seriously good advice! My son had the same issue with a German university, and when he called them directly, they told him the transcript plus his W-2s would be sufficient. Saved weeks of stress and waiting.
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Another thing to consider - even though you're not seeing a tax benefit now, keep tracking all potential deductions each year. Your situation might change! My first 2 years as a homeowner, I took the standard deduction. But by year 3, I had: - Higher mortgage interest (refinanced to a higher amount for renovations) - Larger charitable contributions (donated furniture during renovation) - Some major medical expenses - Higher state taxes after a promotion Suddenly itemizing made sense! So don't get discouraged, just because it doesn't help now doesn't mean it never will.
Dmitry Popov
ā¢That's really good to know! Do you have any recommendations for keeping track of all these potential deductions throughout the year? I feel like I might be missing stuff.
I just use a simple spreadsheet with categories for each potential deduction - mortgage interest, property tax, charitable donations, medical expenses, etc. I update it monthly so I don't forget anything. Some tax software also has year-round tracking features or apps. The key is being consistent about saving receipts and documentation. I take photos of donation receipts immediately and save them to a specific folder. For medical expenses, I request year-end summaries from all my providers. It's also smart to check your itemized deductions against the standard deduction amount mid-year to see if you're on track to benefit from itemizing.
Paolo Ricci
Quick tip for new homeowners: You may be able to deduct mortgage "points" if you paid any when buying your home. These are usually listed on your closing documents, not on Form 1098. Points paid when purchasing a primary residence are generally fully deductible in the year paid. Again, this only matters if you're itemizing, but it's something extra that might help you reach that threshold!
Amina Toure
ā¢Not all points are deductible though. I learned this the hard way. Points for lowering your interest rate are deductible, but points that are really just fees disguised as points aren't. Check IRS Publication 936 for the full details.
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Avery Saint
One thing nobody mentioned - check your last paystub of the year and compare the YTD 401k contribution total with what's on your W-2 in Box 12 with code D. They should match. If not, your employer might have made an error. My company somehow transposed numbers in my 401k contribution amount one year and it caused a huge headache at tax time. Better to catch it early!
Taylor Chen
ā¢Is there a deadline for when employers have to fix W-2 errors? My company is notoriously slow with correcting payroll issues and I'm worried if something's wrong with my 401k reporting, they'll take forever to fix it.
Avery Saint
ā¢Employers are supposed to issue corrected W-2s (W-2c) as soon as they discover errors, but there's no strict deadline specifically for corrections. However, if you find an error, report it to your employer immediately - they should issue a W-2c within a reasonable time. If your company drags their feet, you can actually report the discrepancy directly on your tax return. The IRS has Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) where you can report what you believe are the correct numbers based on your pay stubs if your employer won't fix their mistake in a timely manner.
For anyone wondering, the 401k contribution limit for 2025 is $24,000 (or $30,000 if you're over 50). Make sure you're not exceeding that across all your jobs if you have multiple employers with 401k plans. Your W-2 Box 12 code D amounts from all jobs get combined for this limit.
Ezra Bates
ā¢Does the employer match count toward that limit? I'm putting in about $20k myself but with my employer's 6% match it would go over $24k.
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Just to add a practical tip - when you mail in a return with zero income that's only claiming the recovery rebate credit, write "RECOVERY REBATE CREDIT ONLY" in big letters at the top of the first page of the 1040. This helps the IRS route it properly and can speed up processing. Also, use certified mail with tracking so you can prove when it was sent and received. The IRS is still dealing with massive backlogs, and these paper returns sometimes get lost in the shuffle.
Kylo Ren
ā¢Thanks for this advice! Would regular certified mail be good enough, or should I do certified mail with return receipt? And should my friend expect to wait a long time to get the rebate after filing?
Regular certified mail with tracking is sufficient - you just need proof it was delivered. Return receipt is extra protection but not strictly necessary. Your friend should definitely expect to wait several months for the rebate after filing. Zero-income returns claiming only the recovery rebate credit typically get flagged for manual review, which adds processing time. Current estimates I've seen suggest 3-6 months for these special case paper returns, though it could be shorter or longer depending on the IRS backlog at the time of filing. Make sure your friend keeps a complete copy of everything submitted so they can follow up if needed.
Sophie Duck
Has anybody had this experience? My sister filed a return like this last year just to claim her missing stimulus, and she got a letter from the IRS asking for ID verification before they would process it. She had to upload her ID through the IRS website and answer some questions to prove her identity.
Yes! This happened to my roommate too. It's actually pretty common for zero income returns claiming the rebate. The IRS is super cautious about fraud with these payments. He had to use the ID.me service to verify his identity. Once he did that, the payment was processed in about 4 weeks.
Eduardo Silva
5 Don't forget to track EVERYTHING for your content creation. I'm a tax preparer who works with several influencers, and the biggest mistake I see is not keeping good records. Even if it seems small, document all income and expenses. Use a separate credit card for business purchases if possible, and take photos of receipts. For your level of income, you don't need a formal business structure - a Schedule C is fine. But good record-keeping will save you tons of headaches at tax time and protect you if you're ever audited.
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Eduardo Silva
ā¢9 Do you recommend any specific apps for tracking expenses? I always lose my receipts and then panic at tax time trying to piece everything together from bank statements.
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Eduardo Silva
ā¢5 I usually recommend QuickBooks Self-Employed for content creators as it lets you categorize transactions easily and tracks mileage automatically if you travel for content. It also helps separate business from personal expenses. For a simpler option, many of my clients use free apps like Everlance or just a dedicated spreadsheet with photos of receipts stored in Google Drive. The key is consistency - pick a system you'll actually use and stick with it all year rather than scrambling at tax time.
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Eduardo Silva
17 Just a heads up - since you made less than $5,000, you don't need to worry about quarterly estimated tax payments yet. I made that mistake my first year and paid penalties. But definitely report the income on Schedule C! You can deduct things like equipment, software, courses to improve your content, portion of internet/phone used for business, etc. Keep all your receipts and maybe track the % of time you use devices for content vs personal use. The self-employment tax hits hard if you're not prepared for it.
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Eduardo Silva
ā¢14 This isn't entirely accurate. The requirement for quarterly estimated taxes isn't based on a specific income threshold but whether you'll owe $1,000+ at tax time. Even with $3-4K in side income, you could potentially hit that depending on your overall tax situation.
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