IRS

Pay nothing until a live IRS agent is on the phone with you.

Can't reach IRS? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.

$0 upfront. We only hold your card.
No live agent, no charge.

$9.99 is charged only once a live IRS agent is on the phone with you.

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
Fox KTVUABC 7CBSSan Francisco Chronicle


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 :)

Lena Kowalski

β€’

One thing nobody's mentioning is that the €750M threshold is actually pretty high! This only affects the very largest multinational companies. Small and medium businesses (even fairly large ones by most standards) won't be directly impacted by these rules. Also worth noting that the implementation timeline keeps getting pushed back. Originally supposed to start in 2023, now many jurisdictions are talking about 2024 or even 2025 before they have local legislation in place. The US delay is particularly problematic since so many multinationals are headquartered there.

0 coins

Does that €750M threshold apply to the global company or just operations in a specific country? Like if a company makes €800M worldwide but only €100M in France, would it still be subject to the minimum tax in France?

0 coins

Lena Kowalski

β€’

The €750M threshold applies to global consolidated revenue of the multinational group, not the revenue in each specific country. So in your example, a company with €800M worldwide revenue would be subject to the minimum tax rules even if they only had €100M in France. This is actually one of the key points of the agreement - it's designed to capture large multinationals that might have relatively small operations spread across many countries. The threshold was set to target the largest 10-15% of multinational enterprises while excluding smaller companies that would face disproportionate compliance burdens.

0 coins

Mei-Ling Chen

β€’

As someone who works with emerging markets, I think the impact on developing countries is being overlooked. Many use tax incentives to attract foreign investment because they can't compete with developed nations on infrastructure, workforce, etc. This agreement potentially removes one of their few competitive advantages. That's likely why Kenya and Nigeria haven't signed on. They see it as developed nations protecting their tax bases at the expense of developing economies' growth strategies. The revenue redistribution under Pillar One is supposed to address this, but the formulas tend to favor larger economies.

0 coins

That's a really good point. Do you think there's any chance the OECD will modify the agreement to address these concerns? Or are developing nations just going to be left behind?

0 coins

W-2 from two states, 1099-G, 2 1098-T's, 1098-E - Should I use FreeTaxUSA for my first time filing or need a CPA?

Hey everyone, I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out my taxes for the first time on my own. Previously had my parents' CPA or my undergrad's VITA program handle everything. So here's my situation: I was living in Michigan until July 2023, working part-time at a restaurant while attending two different graduate programs (one in-person, one online). Then I got laid off due to staffing cuts, collected unemployment for a few months, and moved to Georgia in September. Found another part-time job at a bar there, and now I'm trying to make sense of all these tax forms. Here's what I've got: - Two W-2s (one from Michigan, one from Georgia) - Two 1098-Ts (from both grad schools I was attending at the same time, but only one where I was more than half-time) - Two 1098-Es (from federal and private student loan providers) - 1099-G from unemployment I still have my Michigan driver's license and voter registration, but I'm paying rent/utilities in Georgia now. I'm trying to decide if FreeTaxUSA's $13 package would work for my situation or if I should bite the bullet and pay for a CPA. Money's pretty tight right now. Also, I graduated from undergrad in 3 years instead of 4, so technically my grad school was during my "4th year" of college. Does that mean I could use the American Opportunity Tax Credit instead of the Lifetime Learning Credit? That would be a huge help financially. Any advice would be super appreciated!

Daniel White

β€’

I was in almost the exact same situation last year (two W-2s from different states, unemployment, and education credits). I used FreeTaxUSA and it worked perfectly fine for me. The interface is really clear about which state you earned income in and when. For your education credits, I'd suggest going with what the first commenter said - AOTC is only for undergrad, regardless of how many years you've been in school. Even if you technically were in your "4th year" of higher education, graduate courses only qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit. One tip: make sure you have your actual living dates for each state documented somewhere. FreeTaxUSA will ask for the exact dates of your residency in each state, and it matters for determining your tax liability.

0 coins

Edwards Hugo

β€’

Thanks for sharing your experience! Did FreeTaxUSA make it easy to figure out how to divide the income between states? I'm worried I'll mess that up since some of my unemployment was while I was preparing to move but technically still in Michigan.

0 coins

Daniel White

β€’

It really does make it pretty straightforward! When you enter your W-2 information, it asks which state the income was earned in, and when you enter your 1099-G for unemployment, it asks similar questions. For the unemployment specifically, you'll need to allocate it based on where you were living when you received it. So if you received unemployment payments while still physically living in Michigan (even if you were planning to move), those payments would be considered Michigan income. FreeTaxUSA asks for your residency dates for each state and then guides you through allocating everything correctly. Just make sure you know which unemployment payments came when, so you can properly assign them to the right state.

0 coins

Nolan Carter

β€’

Last year I had even more complicated taxes (3 states, 4 W-2s, unemployment, AND education credits) and while FreeTaxUSA was good enough, looking back I wish I'd just paid for a CPA. I ended up making a mistake on my state allocations that resulted in me having to file amended returns for two states, which was a huge headache and cost me more in the long run. If you can afford it, I'd recommend at least consulting with a CPA for your first time filing a multi-state return, especially with education credits involved. The software is only as good as the information you put in, and if you misunderstand a question, it can lead to filing errors. With your specific question about AOTC vs LLC, that's exactly the kind of nuance a professional would catch immediately.

0 coins

Natalia Stone

β€’

I disagree - paying for a CPA seems excessive for this situation. I had a similar multi-state situation and FreeTaxUSA worked fine. Just take your time and read each question carefully. Maybe have a friend who's good with taxes review it before submitting if you're worried.

0 coins

Working in both Australia and US - how do I handle dual-country tax obligations?

Hey tax folks, I'm in a bit of a pickle with my taxes and could use some guidance! I'm a Canadian citizen currently living in Georgia for my spouse's work assignment (since May 2024). I've got a somewhat complicated setup where I'm working part-time remotely for a Canadian company while also doing part-time work for a US employer. According to the substantial presence test, I'm considered a US tax resident. To make things more interesting, my spouse and I have some investments in Canada (stocks that I think qualify as PFIC for US tax purposes), plus we co-own a rental property back home that generates income. From what I understand: - The tax treaty between US and Canada should give me Foreign Tax Credit for my Canadian income. Not sure how this affects my Canadian tax filing beyond reporting the foreign income though. Does my Canadian employer need to do anything special for my 2025 tax documents? And is there a way to estimate if I'll owe additional US taxes when I file? - For our investments, we need to file PFIC forms and might need to pay taxes on dividends. Any way to predict how much this might cost us? Someone mentioned if we were staying longer, we should sell these investments, so I'm guessing the tax hit could be significant (though my shares are only worth about $40k with maybe $3-4k in dividends). I do have an accountant handling this, but I'd like to understand it myself too! We're married and planning to file jointly in the US. Happy to provide any additional info that might help with advice!

Charlie Yang

β€’

One thing nobody's mentioned yet about your situation is state taxes. Depending on which state you're in, you might not get the same foreign tax credits at the state level as you do federally. Georgia (if I'm remembering correctly from your post) does allow FTCs but they calculate them differently than the federal version. Also, track your days in each country carefully! The substantial presence test has exceptions under the treaty that might apply to you depending on your specific situation.

0 coins

That's a really good point about state taxes that I hadn't considered. I am indeed in Georgia, so I'll need to look into how they handle FTCs. Do you know if there's a substantial difference in how they calculate it compared to federal? And regarding the day counting - I've been tracking pretty carefully since I arrived in May, but are there specific thresholds I should be aware of under the treaty?

0 coins

Charlie Yang

β€’

Georgia's FTC is more limited than the federal credit. They only allow credit for taxes paid to foreign countries on income that's also taxed by Georgia. The calculation is based on the ratio of your foreign income taxed by Georgia to your total Georgia taxable income. So if some of your Canadian income isn't subject to Georgia tax, you can't claim FTC for taxes paid on that portion. For the treaty's substantial presence test exceptions, there's the "closer connection" exception that might apply. If you maintain more significant ties to Canada (permanent home, family, economic connections, etc.) and are present in the US for fewer than 183 days in the calendar year, you might be able to claim that your tax home is still Canada despite meeting the substantial presence test. You'd need to file Form 8840 to claim this exception.

0 coins

Grace Patel

β€’

Don't forget about Social Security/Medicare taxes! This is often overlooked in international situations. There's a "totalization agreement" between the US and Canada that prevents double taxation of social insurance contributions. If you're working temporarily in the US (usually defined as 5 years or less), you may be able to continue contributing only to the Canadian system and get a certificate of coverage to exempt you from US Social Security taxes.

0 coins

ApolloJackson

β€’

This is super important! My company messed this up when I was working between UK and US. I ended up paying into both systems for 2 years before realizing I could have been exempt from one. Getting a refund for the overpaid social security was a nightmare.

0 coins

Payton Black

β€’

Does anyone know if there's a specific reason they shut down Direct Pay during that window? Seems like a weird time since many people do their taxes late at night.

0 coins

Harold Oh

β€’

I'm guessing it's for system maintenance and updates. Most big financial systems have a daily maintenance window - banks often do similar things in the middle of the night. 11:45pm-midnight ET probably affects the fewest users across all US time zones while still being overnight for the IRS east coast operations.

0 coins

Payton Black

β€’

That makes sense about the maintenance window. Just seems poorly timed during tax season when so many of us are burning the midnight oil trying to get things filed. They should at least put a more visible warning on the site about it!

0 coins

Amun-Ra Azra

β€’

Quick question for anyone who's done this $1 extension trick - does the payment confirmation serve as proof of your extension? Like should I save that confirmation page as documentation?

0 coins

Drew Hathaway

β€’

Yes, absolutely save the payment confirmation as proof. Take a screenshot or save the PDF they email you. While the IRS system should automatically register your extension when you make that payment, having documentation is crucial if there's ever a question about whether you filed for an extension on time. I recommend saving it in multiple places (email, cloud storage, etc.) just to be safe. I've had clients who needed this proof years later during audits.

0 coins

Amun-Ra Azra

β€’

Thanks for confirming! I just did the $1 payment and saved both a screenshot and the PDF they sent. Feeling much better now knowing I have solid proof of the extension filing. I need the extra time to sort through some investment documents that still haven't arrived.

0 coins

Strange IRS overpayment check for 2022 return then followup letter demanding money back - what happened?

So my wife and I are in a weird situation with the IRS and I'm hoping someone can shed some light. We run a small consulting business together (S-Corp) with just us as partners, no employees except a few contractors we bring in for specialized projects. In early January, we each received identical letters from the IRS along with a check for about $10,400 claiming we had overpaid on our 2022 tax return. I was immediately suspicious since we weren't expecting anything like this, so I just put the money in our savings account rather than spending it. Good thing I did because about 10 days later, we both got another set of identical letters saying they made a mistake with the payment and now we owe back the entire amount PLUS a $95 processing fee. The kicker is they only gave us like 17 days to pay it back - due by January 15th! Thankfully we hadn't touched the money, but I'm super confused about what happened. Our tax guy (who we've used for years and is generally really thorough) asked for copies of everything, which I sent over, but haven't heard much back yet. My brother-in-law's accountant said he's never seen anything like this before and suggested maybe we need a different tax person. Has anyone else ever dealt with this kind of IRS mistake? Is this some kind of weird audit flag or just a random error? I'm planning to call the IRS next week after all the holiday craziness dies down, but wanted to see if this sounds familiar to anyone.

NebulaNinja

β€’

One important thing to note: make sure you're checking your mailbox regularly through April 2025. After these kinds of corrections, the IRS sometimes sends a follow-up CP2000 notice or requests additional information. The worst thing you can do is miss a deadline because you didn't open mail promptly. These notices often have 30-day response windows, and missing them can lead to default assessments or lost appeal rights. Also, double check that the address the IRS has on file for you is current. You'd be surprised how many people move and forget to update their address with the IRS, then miss important notices.

0 coins

Andre Dupont

β€’

Good call - we're actually planning to move in March. What's the best way to update our address with the IRS? Is that something we should do before filing our 2024 taxes?

0 coins

NebulaNinja

β€’

You should definitely update your address before you move. The easiest way is to file Form 8822 (Change of Address) directly with the IRS. You can download it from IRS.gov and mail it in. While putting your new address on your 2024 return will eventually update their records, that could take months to process, and you don't want to risk missing any correspondence in the meantime. If you're moving in March, I'd recommend sending the Form 8822 about 2-3 weeks before your move. Also make sure you file a change of address with USPS so they forward any IRS mail that might still go to your old address during the transition period.

0 coins

This exact thing happened to my cousin! It was closer to $13k though. He spent the money right away (bad move) and then had to scramble to pay it back plus the fee. His accountant explained it was due to a duplicate processing of something on the return. The IRS computer systems are honestly ancient and these errors happen more than they should. I think they're still using code from like the 1960s for some of their systems.

0 coins

The IRS is actually running on systems from the 1960s in some departments! I worked with a government contractor who helped maintain their systems and it's SCARY how outdated some of their infrastructure is. They're still using programming languages most developers have never even heard of.

0 coins

Prev1...45884589459045914592...5645Next