I know how stressful this can be! 😓 The good news is that the IRS has actually improved their systems for handling these older claims. First, make sure you're using Form 4506-T to request the transcripts if you can't access them online. This will show exactly what's on file with the IRS. For the economic impact payments specifically, the IRS created a special lookup tool, but it's been discontinued. However, the transcripts will show if these payments were issued. If they were issued but never received, you'll need to request a payment trace using Form 3911. Don't worry too much about the complexity - take it one step at a time and you'll get this resolved for him!

According to Internal Revenue Code §6511, you must act quickly on the 2021 tax year! Per IRS Publication 556, the deadline for claiming a refund is the later of 3 years from filing or 2 years from paying any tax. If he needs to file an original return for 2021, the absolute deadline is April 15, 2025. For the Economic Impact Payments, Notice 2021-36 specified they must be claimed as Recovery Rebate Credits on the appropriate tax year return. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center rather than trying to handle this by phone. You can schedule at 844-545-5640, but call exactly at 7am Eastern when their system opens for appointments.

I feel your frustration! 😩 This happens to so many people, and it's so stressful when you're counting on that money for something important like caring for family. The good news is that verification doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your return - it's just an extra security step. The community wisdom here is to respond immediately when you get the letter, follow instructions precisely, and then check your status weekly. Most states are actually pretty efficient once they have your verification, unlike the federal side which can drag on forever!

I went through this exact situation in February. Got the letter, verified my identity online, and then waited. And waited. And waited some more. After three weeks of no updates, I called the state tax office directly. Turns out they had processed my verification but it hadn't been linked to my return properly. The agent fixed it while I was on the phone and my refund was issued five days later. Don't just passively wait - be proactive and follow up if things seem to be taking too long.

Be careful with over-relying on transcripts. I've seen numerous cases where users misinterpret Transaction Code 570 as an audit when it's just a temporary hold. The IRS Cycle Posting patterns and TC sequencing can be misleading if you don't understand the underlying systems architecture. While transcripts provide valuable data points, they require contextual interpretation within the IRS's processing framework.

Transcripts are essentially the backend database view of your tax account. They contain Transaction Codes (TCs) that indicate specific actions taken on your return. For example, TC 150 indicates your return was processed, TC 806 shows withholding credits, TC 570 indicates a temporary hold, and TC 971 often precedes correspondence. The Account Transcript is most useful during filing season, while the Return Transcript shows line-by-line data from your actual return. Wage & Income Transcripts can be helpful for verifying reported income. The Record of Account combines return and account information into one comprehensive view.

I made the mistake of assuming a status change wouldn't affect processing time last year. Changed from HOH to MFJ and my refund took 78 days instead of the usual 14. The IRS verification system has specific triggers for life changes that require manual review in many cases. The system flags address changes combined with status changes as potential indicators of identity verification needs. I would strongly suggest pulling your full tax transcript (not just the account transcript) to check for TC 570 or 971 codes which indicate specific holds. The 0605 alone doesn't tell the whole story.

The community wisdom on this is pretty clear - status changes + address changes often = delays. But there's a silver lining: these verification delays usually don't result in audits or problems, just slower processing. Most people in your situation report receiving their refunds eventually without any action needed. The consensus seems to be that if you're past 45 days, it's worth trying to contact the IRS, but before that, it's normal processing for your specific situation. Hang in there - almost everyone gets their refund by early April even with these delays.

Has anyone considered that this might actually be a good thing? If your return is being processed normally, it's better than seeing a transcript with hold codes or audit flags. Sometimes no news really is good news when it comes to the IRS. The system is designed to handle millions of returns simultaneously - we just don't usually see the behind-the-scenes processing steps.

Have you checked if you have access to your 2023 transcripts? Just wondering if this might be an account access issue rather than a processing delay. I've seen cases where people have trouble with the transcript system itself rather than their return not being processed. Did you verify your identity through ID.me exactly 100% correctly?