IRS
CommunityGovernment Services
Can't reach IRS? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Live agent or your money backRefund policy
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
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 :)
Received our 2023 property tax bill - increase from $2400 to $3300! Can I dispute this?
My wife and I bought our first home in 2022, and we just got hit with a property tax bill that's shocking us. Last year our property taxes were about $2400, but the 2023 bill jumped to $3300 - that's almost $1000 more! I checked the assessment and it shows our assessed value went from around $20,000 to $28,000 in just one year. We're completely confused because we haven't made any improvements to the house at all. It's exactly the same as when we bought it. I've been looking at other homes in our neighborhood online, and their assessed values don't seem to be increasing nearly as much as ours. I know property taxes can increase year to year, but this feels excessive and unfair. We're still learning about all the costs that come with homeownership, and this caught us totally off guard. Is this normal? Can we challenge this assessment somehow? The deadline to pay is coming up soon and we're stressing about this unexpected expense. Any advice from more experienced homeowners would be appreciated!
Join the conversation
Frustrated: Can ANY tax software handle purchasing I-bonds with my refund via Form 8888?
I'm pulling my hair out trying to find a tax program that will let me use my refund to buy I-bonds using Form 8888. I've tried FOUR different services and none of them work for this! The IRS Free Fillable forms seemed promising until I discovered it won't even print the Form 8888, and according to their user guide, if it doesn't print, it won't be sent. Great. TaxSlayer wanted me to pay upfront before I could even see if it supported the forms I needed. Hard pass. TaxHawk seemed decent until I got to the refund section - it only lets you designate direct deposit accounts, nothing for savings bonds! Cash App Tax (formerly Credit Karma) was the worst experience. Had to jump through ridiculous hoops just to get started - downloading a mobile app, scanning QR codes, the works. They demanded excessive details for every 1099, way more than legally required. Then after all that - surprise! - they also only support direct deposit for refunds, no I-bonds. What infuriates me is how these companies advertise "all the forms you need" when they clearly don't. For simple things like Schedule B, all you legally need is the bank name and interest amount - not addresses, phone numbers, and federal IDs that these programs demand! Same with IRA distributions - you just need the total amount from all accounts, not individual breakdowns. I'm about ready to give up and mail in paper forms, but then my refund will take an extra six weeks. I intentionally arranged for a larger refund specifically to buy I-bonds with it, so that's six more weeks of lost interest. Can anyone recommend a free or reasonably priced tax software that DEFINITELY supports buying I-bonds with your refund through Form 8888? I need someone who has actually done this successfully, not just assumptions!
Join the conversation
Another option nobody's mentioned yet is TaxAct. I've used it for the past three years to buy I-bonds with my refund and it works perfectly. Their Premium version is usually around $40-50 for federal (depending on when you file), which is way cheaper than TurboTax. The Form 8888 option appears in the "Refund" section after you've completed your return. You can specify exactly how much you want to allocate to I-bonds and how much to direct deposit. One tip: make sure the name on your tax return EXACTLY matches what you want on the bond. The IRS is super picky about this. If your name is "Robert" but you go by "Bob", use "Robert" on both your return and the bond section.
Does TaxAct force you to enter all those extra details for interest and dividends that the OP was complaining about? I hate when tax software asks for info that isn't actually required on the real forms.
TaxAct does ask for the payer names for interest and dividends, but it doesn't require all the excessive details like addresses and phone numbers. You can just enter the name and amount for each 1099-INT or 1099-DIV. For IRA distributions, you do need to enter each 1099-R separately, but that's actually correct since the distribution codes can be different. It's much less demanding than some of the other software I've tried.
This is exactly why I went back to using an accountant! I tried the DIY route for years and kept running into these exact limitations. Software companies design their products for the most common scenarios and anything slightly unusual gets overlooked. I know paying an accountant seems expensive compared to software, but mine charges $275 and handles everything - including splitting my refund between direct deposit and I-bonds. No frustration, no wasted weekends, and I actually end up with BIGGER refunds because he finds deductions I didn't know about.
Does your accountant e-file for you? I'm wondering if they have access to better tax software than what's available to regular consumers.
How to File RSU Income When Selling Shares at a Different Price Than Vesting Value
First time dealing with RSUs on my tax return and I'm totally confused about how to report everything correctly. I understand my W2 includes the RSU taxable compensation and withholdings, but I'm lost on figuring out the cost basis. Q1) Should I use the taxable compensation as my cost basis (the price at vest multiplied by total shares awarded)? Q2) Do I need to subtract the tax withheld from the cost basis? Q3) What happens if I sell part of my RSU shares this year and the rest next year? Does that affect the cost basis calculation? The main thing confusing me is that when I enter the taxable compensation as my cost basis, it ends up being higher than what I actually received when selling. For example, my RSU taxable compensation was $9,500, but after selling the shares (minus what was withheld for taxes), I only got about $4,700 in proceeds. This makes the tax software think I have a $4,800 loss, which doesn't seem right. I was considering just multiplying the net shares I received (after tax withholding) by the price at vest for my cost basis. This seems like it would be easier to track if I sell shares across different tax years, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Or maybe I should put $0 as the cost basis when I sell the remaining shares next year? Any help or insights would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Join the conversation
One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that you need to check your 1099-B from your broker carefully! Often they don't include the correct cost basis for RSUs and you'll need to make an adjustment on your tax return. Most brokers will show a cost basis of $0 for RSUs or an incorrect amount, which means you'll need to manually adjust this on Form 8949 by checking box "B" and entering code "B" in column (f) to indicate that you're correcting the cost basis. Then you enter your actual cost basis (FMV at vesting). This is a super common issue that trips up a lot of people with RSUs.
That's really helpful - I just checked my 1099-B and you're right, the cost basis shown is way off! So I need to use Form 8949 and check box "B" to make this correction? Do I need to include any supporting documentation with my return to explain the adjustment?
You don't need to include any additional documentation with your return to explain the adjustment. The IRS is familiar with this situation for RSUs. Just make sure you keep records of your RSU grant documents, vesting schedules, and the fair market value on vesting dates in case you're ever audited. When completing Form 8949, you'll enter the information from your 1099-B in columns a through e, then in column f enter code "B" (for basis adjustment), and in column g enter the difference between your correct basis and what's reported on the 1099-B. This effectively adjusts the basis to the correct amount for calculating your gain or loss.
I made a horrible mistake with my RSUs last year that cost me thousands. I didn't realize the 1099-B was wrong and just entered everything as-is in my tax software. I basically paid tax twice on the same income - once when it vested (on my W2) and again when I sold the shares because the cost basis was wrong. If anyone else has already filed with this mistake, you can file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to fix it and get a refund. I did this and got back about $2,300 in taxes I shouldn't have paid.
How far back can you amend returns for this kind of mistake? I think I might have done the same thing for the past 3 years 😬
Best Company For Quick ERC Tax Credit Processing With Lowest Fees?
Hey everyone! I've been doing some research on the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) for my small business. We managed to keep our staff during the rough patches of 2020-2021, and I just learned we might qualify for this tax credit. The problem is I'm totally confused about which company to go with to process our claim. I've gotten like 5 different cold calls this week from ERC "specialists" and they all have different fee structures. Some want a percentage, others have flat fees. I'm looking to get our ERC credit processed as quickly as possible but don't want to get gouged on fees. Has anyone here successfully filed for the ERC through a third-party company they'd recommend? What kind of timeline did you experience, and what fees did they charge? I'm a small business owner (craft brewery) so every dollar counts right now. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Join the conversation
Don't forget to consider amended payroll returns! I went with a company that charged 15% but then completely screwed up our 941-X forms. The IRS rejected our first submission and we had to refile, adding months to the process. Make sure whoever you use has extensive experience specifically with the 941-X amendment process for ERC claims. Also ask about their audit support - what happens if the IRS questions your claim 2 years from now? Good firms offer support through any future audits related to the ERC claim.
What's the 941-X form? My payroll company said they'd handle everything but now I'm worried they might miss something.
Form 941-X is the Adjusted Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return that you need to file to claim the ERC retroactively. It's essentially an amendment to your original quarterly tax filings. Most payroll companies are good with regular payroll processing but many don't have specialized experience with ERC claims on the 941-X. The form requires specific line items to be completed in a certain way to properly claim the credit. I'd recommend asking your payroll company specifically about their experience processing ERC claims via 941-X and what their success rate has been. If they seem vague or uncertain, you might want to consider a specialist firm instead.
Be careful!!! The IRS announced they're putting a moratorium on processing new ERC claims starting September 14, 2023 through at least the end of the year. They're doing this because of the huge number of fraudulent claims. If you haven't filed yet, you might be waiting a LONG time. Make sure whoever you go with is legitimate - the IRS is specifically targeting "ERC mills" that file inappropriate claims. The penalties can be severe. Better to wait and do it right than rush and get caught in their enforcement.
I heard they resumed processing in January 2024 but they're going through claims much more slowly and with more scrutiny. Has anyone had an ERC claim processed successfully this year?
Should I hire a tax preparer or use tax software for large capital gains from family business sale?
Sold my part of the family business this year and got way more money than I expected – ended up with around $950k in long-term capital gains after everything settled. I spent a few days with the IRS forms and created my own spreadsheet to figure out estimated taxes, but honestly all the technical jargon has me second-guessing myself. I'm wondering if it's worth hiring a CPA to handle my 2024 taxes or if good tax software would be enough? I don't mind putting in a few hours with tax software if it'll help me minimize what I owe legally. Some other details about my situation: - Married filing jointly - Making about $185k from my regular job (no stock stuff) - Wife has a small business bringing in roughly $32k - She's putting all of that into her solo 401k (except for Social Security/Medicare taxes) - I'm doing some in-plan Roth conversions since my 401k is maxed out - We both maxed out after-tax IRAs and did Roth conversions - We have 4 kids so standard deduction is probably best - State taxes are super simple here, don't need help with those Just trying to figure out if self-filing with software makes sense or if I should pay a professional with this much capital gains involved.
Join the conversation
Your situation is exactly why I left H&R Block after 15 years and started my own practice. Tax software is good for W-2 employees with straightforward situations, but it misses so many opportunities for complex returns. With nearly a million in capital gains plus multiple retirement vehicles AND a small business, you need someone who can integrate all these elements. The software won't catch everything because it can't see the connections between different parts of your financial life. Remember tax software is designed to be correct, not optimal. Big difference.
What specific things do you think software would miss in my situation? I'm trying to get a sense of what the actual value would be beyond just filling in forms correctly.
Software often misses timing strategies for realizing capital gains and losses that could significantly impact your tax burden. With your large gain, spreading recognition across tax years might have been beneficial, but that opportunity may have passed depending on how the sale was structured. Software also tends to be limited in integrating business expenses with personal tax strategy. With your wife's solo business, there are potential entity structure considerations and retirement planning opportunities beyond just the solo 401k that might optimize your overall tax situation. The interplay between her business income, your capital gains, and your retirement planning needs a holistic approach that most software simply isn't designed to provide.
I'm curious what tax software others have used for capital gains? I'm using TurboTax Premier now but wondering if there's better options for investment stuff.
I used TaxAct for a similar situation (sold rental property with big gains) and it handled everything fine. Way cheaper than TurboTax but still walks you through all the capital gains stuff step by step. Their investor edition is specifically designed for this kinda thing.
Carmen Ruiz
Check if your state has a cap on how much assessed value can increase year-over-year. In my state, there's a 3% cap for primary residences. If your assessed value jumped that much in one year, it might actually be illegal depending on your local laws. Also, make sure you're getting all the tax breaks you're entitled to. When we bought our house, we had to specifically apply for the homestead exemption - it wasn't automatic. That saved us about $800/year. And definitely file that appeal ASAP!
0 coins
Zara Malik
AuthorI had no idea about these caps! I'll definitely look into that for our state. Do you know if these exemptions are something we can apply for retroactively? We bought in 2022 but never filed for any exemptions because we didn't know about them.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
In most places, you can apply for exemptions like homestead retroactively, but usually only for the current tax year and maybe the previous year. It varies by location though. When you call your assessor's office, specifically ask about retroactive applications for exemptions. Also, if this is your primary residence and you've lived there since you purchased in 2022, make sure the county knows that. Sometimes they assess at a higher rate if they think it's a rental or second home. Just having the property correctly classified can make a big difference in your tax bill.
0 coins
Andre Lefebvre
one thing nobody mentioned yet - check if the previous owners had any special exemptions that fell off when you purchased. my parents had a senior exemption that saved them about $900/yr, so when i bought their house my taxes went up by that amount even though the assessed value stayed the same. its worth asking the county if thats what happened in your case.
0 coins
Zoe Dimitriou
Good point. When I bought my house, the previous owner was a veteran with a disability exemption. My taxes were way higher than what they had been paying, but there was nothing wrong with the assessment itself. Just the exemptions changing.
0 coins
Zara Malik
AuthorThat's really interesting and something I hadn't considered. The previous owners were an older couple who had lived there for about 15 years, so they might have had some exemptions we don't qualify for. I'll definitely ask about this when I contact the assessor's office!
0 coins