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
9 I'm still waiting on my refund too, filed 2/1/25. What's frustrating is the "Where's My Refund" tool still says "Processing" with no other details. Has anyone found a better way to get actual status updates? Is calling the IRS even worth it this early in the wait?
5 In my experience, calling before the 21-day mark is pretty useless. They'll just tell you it's still within the normal processing time. I'd wait until at least 21 days have passed before trying to contact them - then at least they might give you more specific info about any delays.
9 Thanks for the advice. You're right - I should probably wait until the 21-day mark passes. My return is pretty straightforward so hopefully it won't take much longer than that. Just the waiting and uncertainty that drives me crazy!
16 Anyone wondering about verification letters - I worked seasonal customer service for the IRS last year, and we were insanely backed up with generating these notifications. Your refund processing isn't linked to whether you have the verification letter or not. The letter is just confirmation your return was accepted into the system.
1 That's good to know! So even though I'm still waiting for that verification letter, my refund is still being processed behind the scenes? I was worried the whole process was on hold until I got that official verification.
Join the conversation
Omar Farouk
Has anyone tried just using the free fillable forms on the IRS website for back taxes? I'm in a similar situation but don't want to pay for tax software for multiple years.
CosmicCadet
ā¢I tried using the free fillable forms for my back taxes from 2020 and it was a nightmare. They don't provide any guidance, and I kept getting errors when I tried to submit because I missed some obscure form. Ended up paying for basic TurboTax anyway because I got so frustrated. If you only have W-2 income it might be doable, but with any complexity, I wouldn't recommend it.
Omar Farouk
ā¢Thanks for sharing your experience. That's exactly what I was worried about. I do have some investment income and a small side business, so it sounds like the free forms would be more trouble than they're worth. I'll probably just bite the bullet and pay for some basic tax software to make sure everything gets filed correctly.
Chloe Harris
I just want to add that you should figure out how much you might owe before filing everything. That way you can set aside enough money for a payment or be prepared to set up a payment plan. The IRS Fresh Start program might help if you owe a lot. Good luck!
Do you know if the Fresh Start program works for someone who hasn't filed in 5 years? I'm scared to even contact the IRS at this point.
Join the conversation
Sofia Price
Has anyone else found that TurboTax automatically directs you to Form 1116 once your foreign taxes exceed the $600 threshold (for MFJ)? I'm trying to decide whether it's worth filling out that form or just taking the deduction to avoid the headache. I've got about $750 in foreign taxes this year.
Yes, TurboTax does push you to Form 1116 once you exceed the threshold, but DON'T take the deduction just to avoid the form! I made that mistake last year with $820 in foreign taxes. Taking the deduction instead of the credit cost me around $600 in missed tax savings (I'm in the 32% bracket, so the deduction was way less valuable than the credit). Form 1116 seems intimidating but isn't that bad once you get into it. Most of your dividend-related foreign taxes just go into the "passive income" category, and TurboTax will guide you through it step by step.
Sofia Price
ā¢Thanks for the advice! I was leaning toward just taking the deduction to avoid dealing with another form, but $600 in missed savings is definitely worth spending an extra 30 minutes on Form 1116. I'm in a similar tax bracket, so I'd probably be leaving similar money on the table. Is it true that I need to categorize dividends from different countries separately, or can I just lump all my foreign dividend taxes into one entry on Form 1116?
Owen Jenkins
One thing nobody's mentioned yet is that if you decide to take the foreign tax credit with Form 1116, you'll need to track any excess credits that can carry forward if you can't use them all this year. This happens if your foreign tax credit is limited because your foreign-source income is taxed at a higher rate abroad than it would be in the US. I learned this the hard way when I missed out on carrying forward about $430 in excess credits from 2023 because I didn't track it properly. Those carryforward credits are valid for 10 years!
Lilah Brooks
ā¢Is there a specific form or worksheet for tracking the carryforward amounts? I'm worried I might have some excess credits from previous years that I didn't claim. Does TurboTax automatically carry these forward if you used it in previous years?
Join the conversation
One thing nobody mentioned yet about the FEIE - if your tax home is in a foreign country, you might also qualify under the Bona Fide Residence Test instead of just Physical Presence. It's less about counting days and more about proving you're truly residing in Singapore. Things like having a permanent residence there, involvement in the local community, intentions to stay long-term, etc. The benefit is that short trips back to the US (like your Christmas visit) don't affect your qualification as much. The downside is it's more subjective and documentation-heavy. But something to consider if you're planning to stay in Singapore long-term!
Lena Schultz
ā¢That's interesting! I do have a 2-year lease here and a Singapore employment pass. Would that help establish bona fide residence? The physical presence test seems more straightforward but I'm wondering if bona fide residence might be better long-term since I do plan to visit home occasionally.
Yes, your 2-year lease and Singapore employment pass are excellent proof for the Bona Fide Residence test! Other helpful documentation would include local bank accounts, driver's license (if you have one), utility bills in your name, and evidence of community involvement. You're right that physical presence is more straightforward for your first year, but bona fide residence gives you more flexibility for visits home in future years. The key is demonstrating that Singapore is truly your tax home and center of life. Once established, you can generally maintain bona fide residence status even with more substantial visits to the US, as long as your trips are temporary and you clearly intend to return to Singapore.
Demi Lagos
Don't forget about state taxes! The FEIE only applies to federal taxes. Depending on which state you lived in before moving abroad, you might still owe state income tax even while living in Singapore. Some states like California and Virginia are notorious for trying to claim you as a resident unless you've completely severed all ties.
Mason Lopez
ā¢This is so true. I'm from California and even after moving to Germany for work, they kept considering me a CA resident because I kept my driver's license and had some investment property there. Had to pay state taxes on top of everything else until I officially "moved" to Florida first (on paper) before heading overseas again.
Anastasia Sokolov
A little different perspective here - i work for an accounting firm and see lots of audits. About 80% of the time, the IRS is just looking for documentation on specific deductions, not trying to "get you." Audits targeting self-employed people with home offices and travel expenses are super common right now. the absolute worst thing u can do is ignore the letter or miss deadlines. that will turn a potentially simple documentation check into a nightmare. second worst is to provide MORE info than they ask for. just give them exactly what the letter requests, nothing more.
0 coins
Sean O'Connor
ā¢This is really helpful perspective. What about bank statements? Should I be providing my entire bank statements from the year or just the transactions they're asking about? I'm worried about them seeing other stuff that might trigger more questions.
0 coins
Zara Ahmed
Just went through an audit this past year and want to add that organization makes a HUGE difference. Create a simple coversheet for each category they're questioning with a summary of the expenses and why they qualify. Makes the auditor's job easier which absolutely works in your favor. Also, be super professional in all communications. The auditor has enormous discretion, and being respectful and organized gave me much better results than my friend who went in confrontational and ended up with a much more thorough (painful) audit process.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
ā¢That's really good advice about the cover sheets - I wouldn't have thought of that. Did you end up owing additional tax after your audit was completed? I'm worried they're going to disallow all my legitimate business expenses.
0 coins
Zara Ahmed
ā¢I did end up owing a little more, but nowhere near what I feared. They disallowed about $2,100 of my $19,500 in business deductions because I couldn't find adequate documentation for some meals and entertainment expenses. My well-documented home office and equipment deductions were accepted without issue. The cover sheets definitely helped - the auditor actually commented on how easy I made their job. Each sheet listed the category (like "Home Office"), total amount claimed, how I calculated it, and an itemized list with all supporting documents attached. I even included IRS publication references showing why each deduction qualified. It turned what could have been multiple sessions into just one 2-hour meeting.
0 coins