Don't use public wifi when accessing the IRS site. I did that at Starbucks last month and my account got locked for 72 hours. They flagged it as suspicious activity. Had to call and verify my identity all over again. Not worth the hassle.

The IRS website works best during off-peak hours. Try accessing between 6-8am Eastern. Fewer users online then. System response is faster. Browser matters too. Chrome works better than Firefox. Edge is surprisingly reliable. Make sure you're using the most current version. Old browsers get rejected by the security system.

Has anyone else noticed how impossible it is to get actual clarification from the IRS when you have questions about Form 8888 or split refunds? I spent three days trying to reach someone who could explain why my split refund was delayed last year. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in under 30 minutes who confirmed there was a verification flag on my account due to the split refund request. Wouldn't it be nice if the IRS actually communicated these holds clearly instead of making us play detective with our own money?

Quick q - did u get any weird codes on ur transcript before the DDD showed up? Mine's stuck on 570/971 combo and I filed around the same time as u. No movement for 2 wks now. Wondering if CashApp users get flagged differently?

Just wanted to share some good news - I was in EXACTLY your situation last month. CTC payment hit my account while my refund was MIA. I called the IRS (took forever to get through 😅) and found out my return was just sitting in a queue waiting for review. Nothing wrong with it! Three days after I called, my refund was approved and I had the money a week later. Sometimes just making contact with them seems to move things along. Hang in there - the money is coming!

According to the IRS.gov website FAQ section, this is actually normal. I was researching this exact situation yesterday because I'm experiencing the same thing. The IRS website explains that the Advanced Child Tax Credit system and regular refund processing operate on different timelines and verification protocols. If you check the IRS2Go app and the status still shows as processing, it means your return is still moving through the system but hasn't been flagged for any major issues.

Has anyone here actually had their return processed using the prior year income election after divorce? I'm filing this weekend and need to know ASAP if there were any issues with processing times or additional verification steps? Did the IRS question your calculation method at all?

I successfully navigated this exact situation last year after my 2022 divorce. I used only my portion of income from our 2020 joint return for EIC calculations. I was worried about it, but my refund came through without any issues or delays. The key was having documentation ready - I kept copies of my individual W-2s from 2020 in case I was asked to verify. Remember that the IRS can already see which income was reported under your SSN versus your ex's, so they know what's yours.

I've been dealing with PTC forms for 3 years now, and this year is definitely slower than usual! 🙃 After waiting 45 days with no updates, I finally decided to call the IRS directly. Spent two days trying to get through their phone system with no luck (seriously, who has time for that??). Finally used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent in about 15 minutes. Worth every penny! The agent confirmed my return was flagged for "income verification" because of the combination of PTC and EIC. Apparently, this is happening to a lot of returns with both credits. The agent was able to verify everything was in order and manually release my return for processing. Got my deposit 8 days later.

This is my third year filing with marketplace insurance and PTC, and each year has been progressively worse with delays. Last year I waited 28 days, the year before was 21 days, and this year I'm currently at day 49 with no refund in sight! I called the IRS hotline last week and after being on hold for 97 minutes, the agent told me there was a "discrepancy" between my reported PTC and what the marketplace reported. Turns out my insurance company reported a different monthly premium amount for December than what they showed on my 1095-A. The difference was only $12.43 but it triggered a full manual review of my entire return.