I went through this exact situation and needed clarity on whether amending was worth it. Called the IRS for three days straight and couldn't get through. Finally used Claimyr.com (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to connect with an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed I would benefit from amending and explained exactly how to proceed. Saved me days of frustration and uncertainty. Some things you really need to hear directly from an IRS rep.

Just want to point out - if you do amend, be prepared to wait a WHILE. I filed an amended return for a similar issue last year and it took almost 4 months to process. The IRS is still catching up on backlogs.

Oh my goodness, be VERY careful with this! My brother-in-law assumed he could still claim his kids even though his ex got the advance payments, and he ended up with a NIGHTMARE audit situation! The IRS flagged both returns and froze both refunds for almost 8 months! They had to submit their entire custody agreement, school records showing where the kids primarily lived, and even utility bills proving residence. I'm still shocked at how complicated it got! The IRS eventually sided with him since it was his year according to their agreement, but they had to pay an accountant $1,200 to help resolve everything.

I successfully navigated this exact situation on April 12th last year. My ex received all the advance payments, but according to our custody agreement, 2023 was my year to claim our daughter. I filed electronically on February 3rd with Form 8862 attached, included a copy of our custody agreement, and explicitly noted in the additional information section that advance payments had been made to the other parent. My return was accepted within 21 days, and I received the remaining portion of the Child Tax Credit (the full amount minus what was already paid in advances). Just make sure you have documentation ready if they request it!

Tax returns are like airplanes in a holding pattern - even the small ones sometimes get stuck circling for no apparent reason. Last year, my nephew filed a return with literally one W-2 for $3,200 in income, and it took 9 months to process. The issue? His former employer had filed his W-2 under an incorrect SSN, creating a mismatch that silently held everything up. No letters, no notifications, just silence. Once we figured it out and called the employer to submit a corrected W-2, the return processed within 10 days.

Be careful with your expectations. IRS is severely backlogged. Some returns from 2021 still unprocessed. No guarantees by year-end. Keep all documentation. Don't count on money arriving by specific date. Consider making alternate financial arrangements. Document all contact attempts. Request taxpayer advocate through Congressional office. Local offices sometimes accept cases even when national program is closed.

If you're really concerned, you can try calling the IRS, but good luck getting through! I spent 3 days trying last month. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed my return was still in normal processing even though my transcript hadn't updated. Saved me a ton of stress knowing nothing was wrong.

The system updates in batches, not continuously. Your return is probably in a processing queue. I'd give it until 8 weeks from filing before getting concerned. The IRS is seriously understaffed and returns with credits take longer to process.

I was confused about this too and couldn't make sense of my tax transcript when it finally updated. I used taxr.ai to analyze it and it immediately identified the offset code and explained exactly what was happening. It also showed me which part of my refund was being taken and which part I'd still receive. Super helpful for understanding all the confusing codes and dates.

If your refund is delayed but you haven't received an offset notice, it might just be normal processing delays. The IRS is still working through a backlog. My refund took 6 weeks this year with no offset involved.