I've seen this happen every year since 2017. Back then, I worked for a tax preparation company. The PATH Act specifically includes the Additional Child Tax Credit which is the refundable portion of the CTC. If your credit exceeds your tax liability, making part of it refundable, that triggers PATH Act verification. Last year, most of my clients with ACTC saw refunds between February 27th and March 3rd, despite filing in late January.

This community wisdom has saved me so much stress: The PATH Act delays refunds for ANY refundable credits, not just EITC. The Child Tax Credit has two parts - regular CTC (up to $2,000 per child) and Additional CTC (the refundable portion). It's that second part that triggers the PATH delay. The IRS won't even begin processing these returns until February 15th, by law. Don't waste time checking WMR constantly before then - nothing will change!

I'm not sure about these third-party services for contacting the IRS. There are a few things you should try first: • Check your e-file confirmation from your tax software • Verify the exact refund amount to the penny (not rounded) • Try the IRS2Go app instead of the website • Wait 24-48 hours and try again The IRS systems update overnight, so continuous checking won't help. Also, be careful about sharing any personal info with non-IRS services.

I understand the skepticism, but on February 8th I was in the exact same situation - filed on January 24th and WMR kept giving me the error message. After trying for days and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr and it worked exactly as described. They don't ask for any personal information - they just connect you to the IRS phone system without you having to do the redial-for-hours dance. I totally get being cautious with tax matters, but this service literally just helps you get through the phone tree faster.

I believe you might want to consider waiting until the original return is processed before filing the amendment. In my experience, filing an amendment while the original is still processing can sometimes cause confusion in the IRS systems. It might be a good idea to wait until you receive confirmation that the original return was accepted, then perhaps wait another week or two before submitting the 1040-X? Just a suggestion based on what I've seen others recommend.

Why does this always happen with TurboTax users? I had the EXACT same issue in 2022. Got a tiny W2 ($432) from a job I worked for two weeks and forgot about. Filed my amendment through TurboTax on March 30th. You know when it finally processed? November 12th. That's right - over 7 months later! The IRS is completely overwhelmed with paper amendments. My advice? If the W2 is for a small amount and wouldn't significantly change his tax liability, some people might just wait to see if the IRS sends a notice. They'll calculate any difference and send a bill with minimal penalties if you respond quickly. Not saying that's the right approach, but realistically, that's what some people do when the amount is small.

Look at your withholding, not just your refund! 😂 A smaller refund might actually be GOOD - means you kept more money throughout the year. I adjusted my W-4 last January to have less withheld since I knew the child credits were dropping. Got smaller paychecks last year but didn't face refund shock this spring. The real question isn't "are refunds lower" but "is your total tax burden higher?" For most people, it's actually slightly lower due to bracket adjustments.

For investment-focused filers like yourself, pay attention to Qualified Business Income Deduction (Section 199A) limitations and Net Investment Income Tax thresholds, which remain unchanged but affect high-income investors. Capital gains rates haven't changed (still 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on income bracket), but bracket inflation adjustments might put you in a different tier. Consider tax-loss harvesting if you have unrealized losses to offset gains. Filing timing won't affect your 2023 tax liability, but might affect cash flow planning.

OMG I went through this EXACT same situation in February!! I was so stressed about it but it actually worked out fine! 😅 I filed on Feb 2nd and got a surprise W2 on Feb 9th for a small job I'd completely forgotten about. I freaked out thinking I'd get in trouble, but I called TurboTax support and they were super helpful. They told me to wait until my original refund came through (took 14 days) and then do the amendment. The amended return was actually pretty simple through TurboTax - it pulled all my original info automatically. I did end up owing $127 but at least there were no penalties since I fixed it right away!

My cousin thought amending was no big deal and just ignored a missing 1099 last year. It's like thinking you can ignore a small leak in your roof - eventually it causes major damage. The IRS caught it during their automatic matching process and he ended up with a $2,200 tax bill that included the original tax plus penalties and interest. He also got flagged for extra scrutiny on this year's return. I'd recommend your boyfriend handle this ASAP, especially with a military move coming up. The last thing he needs is mail from the IRS going to an old address while he's in the middle of a PCS.