IRS

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.



Fox KTVUABC 7CBSSan Francisco Chronicle

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!

Read all of our Trustpilot reviews


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 :)

Micah Trail

β€’

You should check if both W-2s are using the correct filing status and withholding allowances. Sometimes when you switch payroll systems, your W-4 information doesn't transfer correctly. I had this same issue last year when my company switched from ADP to Paychex. Make sure both payroll processors have the same W-4 information. Also, if you have any other income (investments, side gigs, etc.) that could be pushing you into a higher bracket too.

0 coins

Danielle Mays

β€’

That's a good point, I hadn't thought about that! When we switched payroll systems, I don't think I filled out a new W-4 for the second one - they might have just used default withholding which would explain the issue. Do you think it's worth asking my HR department if I can see what withholding settings they had for me on both systems?

0 coins

Micah Trail

β€’

Absolutely ask your HR department! They should be able to tell you exactly what withholding instructions they had on file for each system. Default withholding typically assumes you're single with no dependents and only one job, which often results in underwithholding if that's not your situation. I'd recommend getting copies of both W-4s they have on file, then filling out a new one with the correct multiple job calculations. The IRS has a good tax withholding estimator on their website that can help you get it exactly right for your situation.

0 coins

Nia Watson

β€’

Has anyone else noticed that payroll systems are TERRIBLE at calculating withholding when you have multiple jobs or income sources? This is like the 3rd post I've seen about this same issue. The whole system seems designed to make people mess up and owe money.

0 coins

It's not really that payroll systems are terrible - they're doing exactly what they're designed to do. The problem is they only know about the income they're processing. It's actually on us to tell our employers to withhold extra when we have multiple income sources.

0 coins

Nia Watson

β€’

That makes sense, but it still feels like the system is unnecessarily complicated. Like why can't the IRS just figure out how much I should be paying based on what I made last year and tell my employers? Seems like they deliberately make it confusing so people mess up and they collect penalties.

0 coins

Jessica Nolan

β€’

Has anyone tried TaxSlayer? I hear it's cheaper than TurboTax but not sure if it's any better interface-wise.

0 coins

TaxSlayer is ok but I found it confusing for itemized deductions. Kept getting different numbers than I expected and couldn't figure out why.

0 coins

Jessica Nolan

β€’

Thanks for the info! I'll probably try FreeTaxUSA based on all the recommendations here. The dated interface doesn't bother me as much as TurboTax's constant upselling. I appreciate the heads-up about the itemized deduction issues. I don't itemize anymore with the higher standard deduction, so hopefully that won't be a problem for me.

0 coins

I switched to H&R Block Online last year from TurboTax and found it much more straightforward! It lets you jump directly to forms and has less upselling. Might be worth checking out too.

0 coins

How much did you end up paying for H&R Block compared to TurboTax? And did you find it easier to navigate? My main frustration is just wanting to directly enter my forms without going through their "life changes" questionnaire every time.

0 coins

I paid about $70 for H&R Block's Deluxe version compared to $120 I was paying for TurboTax. It was definitely easier to navigate - they have a "forms mode" that lets you go directly to specific forms without going through all the interview questions first. You can still use the interview mode if you want guidance, but it's completely optional. The interface feels less cluttered too, and I didn't get constant popups trying to upgrade me to more expensive versions.

0 coins

Ryder Ross

β€’

I'm a retail trader who does about 500-1000 trades per year, and I've never paid per-transaction fees. That's absolutely ridiculous. I use FreeTaxUSA and just import my CSV files from my brokers. Total cost? $15 for the software. Even if you don't want to DIY, most CPAs I've talked to charge a flat $100-200 additional fee for Schedule D reporting, regardless of transaction count. Your preparer is trying to make a killing off you because they think you don't know better. For 2020 specifically, those COVID credits are pretty valuable, so definitely file, but find someone charging a reasonable rate!

0 coins

Ally Tailer

β€’

Did you have to do anything special with FreeTaxUSA for options trades specifically? I've heard they're treated differently than regular stock transactions for tax purposes and want to make sure I'm doing it right.

0 coins

Ryder Ross

β€’

For options in FreeTaxUSA, you just need to make sure your import file correctly identifies them as options contracts with the right expiration dates and strike prices. The software handles the different tax treatment automatically. One thing to watch for is that some brokers (especially Robinhood back in 2020) sometimes didn't properly classify certain spreads or multi-leg option strategies in their export files. If you did any complex options strategies, you might need to double-check those specific entries, but for simple buys and sells it works perfectly without any special steps.

0 coins

Dealt with this exact issue for my 2020 filing. I found a middle ground by asking my CPA to just charge me their hourly rate instead of per transaction. Ended up paying around $400 total for a return with 300+ trades since I had everything organized from my brokers already. Maybe ask your preparer if they'd consider an hourly rate alternative? If they refuse, that's a red flag that they're just trying to milk you for cash.

0 coins

Henry Delgado

β€’

This is the way. I'm a bookkeeper (not tax professional) and NO reasonable preparer should be charging per transaction when software can import these in bulk. Either hourly or a reasonable flat fee is standard practice for high-volume traders.

0 coins

Another option you should look into is the "qualified principal residence indebtedness" exclusion if this was related to your primary home, or the "qualified farm indebtedness" exclusion if it was farm-related debt. Different exclusions apply in different situations, and it's important to use the right one on Form 982. Also, make sure that the 1099-C is legitimate. Sometimes debt collectors send these forms for debts that are past the statute of limitations, which can be problematic. If the debt is really 11-12 years old, you might want to verify that the 1099-C was properly issued.

0 coins

Zoey Bianchi

β€’

Thanks for mentioning this, but my 1099-C is definitely for an old credit card debt, not a home mortgage or farm debt. It was from a major bank that I definitely had an account with back then, so I think it's legitimate. The weird thing is why they waited so many years to cancel it and send the 1099-C. Is there a time limit on when they can issue these forms? The debt was from around 2012, but they just cancelled it in 2023.

0 coins

There's actually no time limit on when creditors can issue a 1099-C after cancelling a debt. They're required to issue it for the tax year in which they actually cancel the debt, regardless of how old the original debt was. In your case, even though the debt originated in 2012, if the creditor officially cancelled it in 2023, then that's when the taxable event occurred. This is fairly common with old debts that have been sitting in collections for years. The good news is that insolvency is still an option regardless of how old the original debt was. Focus on your financial situation at the time of cancellation (2023) when determining if you qualify for the insolvency exclusion.

0 coins

one thing nobody mentioned yet is that if u qualify as insolvent, u need to reduce certain tax attributes like NOL, credit carryovers etc. on that form 982. its in part 2 of the form. most ppl dont have these but if u do its important. also dont forget to actually attatch form 982 to your return! if ur e-filing the software should do this for u but double check.

0 coins

Ethan Scott

β€’

That's a great point. Most people filing basic returns won't have these tax attributes, but it's an important consideration if you have a more complex tax situation. Also worth noting that if you're using free tax filing software, some of them don't support Form 982. You might need to upgrade to a paid version to properly handle the insolvency exclusion.

0 coins

In my experience, reading the actual instructions for the specific form often helps. The IRS website has detailed explanations for each form, including 1099-R. Go to irs.gov, search for "1099-R instructions" and you'll find a complete guide to all those codes and calculations. The instructions explain each box and code in detail. Box 7 specifically shows the type of distribution, which determines how it's taxed. I found it super helpful when I had a distribution from my old employer's 401k.

0 coins

Andre Dupont

β€’

I tried reading the instructions but that's actually what confused me more! They use so many technical terms that reference other technical terms. I felt like I was going in circles. Do you have any suggestions for making sense of all the cross-references in the instructions?

0 coins

I totally get that feeling! The cross-references can make you feel like you're chasing your tail through an endless maze of tax jargon. What helped me was starting with the glossary section in Publication 17 (the main IRS tax guide) to understand the basic terminology first before diving into specific form instructions. Another approach that helped me was focusing only on the sections relevant to my specific situation and ignoring everything else. For distribution codes, the 1099-R instructions have a table that explains each code - print just that page and highlight only your specific code to avoid getting overwhelmed by all the other possibilities.

0 coins

Dylan Cooper

β€’

This might sound obvious but have you tried calling whoever issued the form to you? When I got a confusing 1099-R from my old employer's retirement plan, I called their benefits department and they explained exactly what the form meant and how the distribution was calculated. They deal with these questions all the time.

0 coins

Sofia Morales

β€’

This is actually good advice. I was confused about a distribution code on my 1099-R last year and the plan administrator explained everything clearly. They even emailed me a breakdown of the calculation that I could reference when filing.

0 coins

Prev1...44884489449044914492...5643Next