This ID.me situation is absolutely infuriating! I went through something very similar about 6 months ago when I had to change my phone number due to harassment calls. The system is definitely broken when legitimate taxpayers can't access their own information. Here's my experience: I tried the phone support route first (complete waste of time - 2+ hour holds just to get disconnected), then discovered the "I don't have access to my phone" link that others have mentioned. It's ridiculously small text at the bottom of the login page, but it does work. For the photo submission, I learned this the hard way: take the photo during daytime near a window for natural light, put your ID on a white sheet of paper, and make sure your phone camera is directly above the ID (not at an angle). My first two attempts got rejected for "poor image quality" until I figured out their very specific requirements. The whole process took about 4 business days for approval, which honestly felt like a miracle compared to their phone support disaster. I also submitted Form 4506-T the same day as backup insurance, which ended up arriving in the mail right around the same time my ID.me access got restored. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through so many hoops to access our own tax records, but at least there are workarounds that actually function. Hang in there - you'll get through this mess!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now and it's driving me absolutely insane! I changed my phone number 3 months ago and now I'm completely locked out of my ID.me account when I need to check if my quarterly estimated payments were processed correctly. After reading through all these comments, I'm definitely going to try the "I don't have access to my phone" option first - it sounds like that tiny link at the bottom of the login page is the secret everyone wishes they knew sooner! The photo tips about natural window lighting and white paper background are super helpful too since it seems like their image requirements are ridiculously picky. I'm also going to submit Form 4506-T as my backup plan while waiting for the ID.me photo verification to process. It's frustrating that we need backup plans just to access our own tax information, but I'd rather be overprepared than stuck waiting even longer. Has anyone had success with updating their phone number AFTER getting back into their account through the photo verification process? I want to make sure I can actually update my contact info once I'm back in so this doesn't happen again next tax season!

Has anyone used TurboTax for this situation? I'm wondering if it automatically figures out where to put the 1099-R information or if I need to manually override something.

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses! This has been incredibly helpful. Just to make sure I understand correctly - since I withdrew the excess contribution in 2023 (which is when I received the 1099-R), I report everything on my 2023 tax return, not my 2022 return where the original excess contribution was made? Also, I'm seeing that the earnings portion will be taxable income. My 1099-R shows a total distribution of $2,150, but I'm not sure how much of that was my original excess contribution versus earnings. Should I contact Fidelity (my IRA custodian) to get a breakdown of these amounts? I don't want to accidentally pay taxes on money I already paid taxes on when I originally contributed it. One more question - if I'm under 59½ (I'm 34), will I also owe the 10% early withdrawal penalty on the earnings portion, or does that get waived since this was correcting an excess contribution?

Just wondering, did your original engagement letter with the CPA specify anything about audit support or providing documentation after filing? That would determine if they're being reasonable or not. I've had CPAs include limited audit support in their original fee, while others charge separately. $350/hr is a standard rate for a CPA, but 2 hours seems excessive just to send existing docs. Might be worth asking if they can reduce the time estimate.

This is exactly why I always ask for all supporting worksheets and calculations when my CPA completes my return - before I pay the final bill. I learned this the hard way after getting hit with a $450 charge just to get documentation for an amended return. For complex situations like Section 1341, those calculations are literally the core work product you paid for. It's like hiring a contractor to build a deck and then having them charge extra to show you the structural plans they used. The CPA should have provided those worksheets as part of your original deliverables. Going forward, always request a complete "tax organizer" or "client copy" that includes all worksheets, supporting calculations, and documentation used to prepare your return. Most reputable CPAs will provide this automatically, but some need to be asked explicitly. This protects you from exactly this situation. Glad you found alternative solutions that worked! Your experience will definitely help other people facing similar issues.

I had such a hard time with SBTPG and the IRS last year that I almost lost my mind. This year I used a service called Claimyr to actually get an IRS agent on the phone (claimyr.com). Got through in about 25 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. The agent confirmed my refund was on the way and gave me exact dates. Talking to a real person who could see my actual account was so much better than guessing based on online status bars.

Same thing happened to me last year! The 846 code is definitely good news - it means the IRS has processed and approved your refund. The disconnect between your transcript and SBTPG is super common and frustrating. From my experience, SBTPG usually takes 2-3 business days after the 846 date to actually receive and process the funds from the IRS. Their website is notoriously slow to update too. I'd give it until Thursday or Friday before getting worried. In the meantime, keep checking your actual bank account directly rather than relying on SBTPG's site - sometimes the money shows up there first. And if you're still anxious, you might want to call your bank to make sure there aren't any holds or issues on your account that could delay the deposit. Hang in there! The 846 code means your money is definitely coming, it's just working its way through the system. The waiting is the worst part but you're almost there! 🤞

Check if your school district code matches your address exactly. I had this issue last year and it was bc I put the wrong district code

I went through something similar last year. The status changes from "received" to "unavailable" are pretty normal during manual reviews - it doesn't mean anything bad happened to your return. The school tax review usually takes 3-4 weeks in my experience. Just make sure you have all your documentation ready in case they request anything. Hang in there!