AGI showing as 0, still missing my 2022 refund - what can I do for 2023 filing?

This is definitely a frustrating situation, but there's a solution for your 2023 filing. When your prior year AGI isn't available because of identity theft or other issues, you can enter "0" as your prior year AGI. This is actually an approved procedure by the IRS for situations exactly like yours. For e-filing your 2023 return, try entering "0" as your 2021 AGI. If that doesn't work, you might need to file a paper return instead of e-filing this year. While not ideal, it ensures your 2023 return gets processed. As for your stolen 2022 refund, the IRS should be working on this through their identity theft department, but unfortunately it can take 6-9 months to resolve these cases. Make sure you've completed Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) if you haven't already. This flags your account properly.

After dealing with similar AGI issues and IRS problems for months, I finally found a service that actually helped me sort through all the confusion. It's called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally saved me so much time. I was stuck in a similar situation where my previous year's return had issues and the e-file system kept rejecting me. The taxr.ai system analyzed my tax documents and identified exactly why my returns were getting rejected - turns out I was entering the wrong AGI format. They also helped me understand what documentation I needed to send to the IRS to resolve my identity theft situation. The best part was their explanation of the IRS procedures in simple terms. They even generated a letter template I could send to the IRS that referenced all the right regulations.

I was initially skeptical about taxr.ai when I read about it here, but I was desperate after weeks of getting nowhere with my tax issues. I decided to try it, and I'm honestly shocked by how helpful it was. I uploaded my rejection notices and previous tax info, and the system immediately identified that I needed to use the Identity Theft Affidavit (Form 14039) AND enter zero as my prior year AGI. But the really valuable part was how it walked me through documenting the situation for the IRS with all the right language and procedures. My 2023 return has now been accepted and I'm also making progress on recovering my 2022 refund. The IRS actually called me back last week (which I didn't think ever happened) after I submitted the documentation package that taxr.ai helped me prepare. For anyone dealing with complicated tax situations, especially identity theft issues, this is seriously worth checking out.

When I was dealing with the IRS about my missing refund (which turned out to be identity theft), I spent MONTHS trying to get through to a human on their phone lines. Always busy signals or disconnects. I finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was able to see that my case had been sitting in their identity theft department without any updates. She escalated it immediately and gave me a direct reference number. Without getting through to that specific agent, I'm sure I'd still be waiting. With identity theft cases like yours, speaking directly to the right department is crucial. The general IRS helpline often can't do much except tell you to wait.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it because I needed to talk to the IRS about my missing refund before filing this year's taxes. It actually worked exactly as described. I put in my phone number, and about 27 minutes later I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent - no waiting on my end at all. The agent was able to confirm my identity theft case was assigned to an investigator and gave me specific instructions for filing this year. For my 2023 return, she told me to use "0" for my prior year AGI but to also attach a statement explaining the identity theft situation if e-filing failed and I needed to paper file. She also accelerated my case review after I explained I was having trouble filing this year because of it. If you're stuck in identity theft limbo like me and the original poster, being able to actually speak with someone at the IRS makes a huge difference. Totally worth it.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that you can request your Wage and Income Transcript and Tax Return Transcript directly from the IRS website. Go to IRS.gov and search for "Get Transcript Online." This will show what was actually filed under your SSN for 2022, including the AGI that was reported. This might help you figure out what AGI to use, plus it gives you documentation of what was incorrectly filed in your name. The IRS computer systems often have record of your actual AGI even if your refund situation isn't resolved yet. You might also want to put a freeze on your credit since someone has your SSN and has already committed tax identity theft.

Make sure you contact your state attorney general's office about the tax preparer who filed without your consent! That's actually illegal and they can be prosecuted for it. Tax preparers must have your signature on Form 8879 before e-filing on your behalf. When this happened to my brother, the AG's office got involved and it helped speed up the IRS resolution because now it was a criminal matter. The tax preparer ended up facing charges and had to pay restitution.