Amended Return Filed 2/29/24 - Referral Past 30-Day Timeline and Getting Nowhere

Amended returns are currently experiencing significant delays across the board. The IRS is still working through a backlog that started during COVID and never fully recovered. A few questions that might help diagnose your situation: 1. Did you file electronically or by paper? 2. Does your amendment involve any credits or deductions that might trigger additional review? 3. Have you checked the "Where's My Amended Return" tool on the IRS website? 4. When you call, are you speaking with regular customer service or have you reached someone in the amendments department?

I filed an amended return on January 17th, 2024 and was in the same boat as you. The "Where's My Amended Return" tool was useless - just showed "received" for weeks. I finally tried https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it showed me that my amended return was actually under review with code 570 (which means additional review). The regular IRS tools don't explain what's happening, but taxr.ai broke down all the codes and gave me a realistic timeline based on current processing patterns. Saved me from calling the IRS every other day only to get nowhere.

Dealing with the IRS is like trying to navigate a maze where they keep moving the walls. I was in your exact situation with my amended return from December 2023. After countless failed attempts to reach anyone helpful, I used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to get through to an actual agent instead of waiting on hold for hours. It's like having a fast-pass at an amusement park - you skip the 2+ hour wait and get connected to someone who can actually help. The agent I reached was able to escalate my case properly and provide the actual status rather than generic responses. Worth every penny considering how much time I wasted before.

I might have some insight on this... My sister-in-law works for the IRS (not speaking officially of course), and she mentioned that amended returns filed in February 2024 might be caught in what they call a "processing batch delay." Apparently there was a system update in mid-March that caused certain batches to be flagged for additional review, even if nothing was wrong with them. She suggested that if you haven't received any correspondence by mail requesting additional information, it's likely just stuck in this backlog. I would be careful about calling too frequently though, as that can sometimes flag your return in their system as potentially problematic.

I'm going to be the voice of skepticism here. These "referrals" are often just notes agents make to get you off the phone. I've been through this three times with amended returns, and each time they gave me a different timeline. First it was 8 weeks, then 16 weeks, then "there's no timeline." The IRS is severely understaffed and they're just trying to manage expectations. Your amended return is probably sitting in a pile somewhere and won't be looked at until they get to it, regardless of any "referral."

While I understand the frustration, there are legitimate reasons for these delays. The IRS is operating under significant constraints with outdated technology systems and staffing shortages. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate's 2023 Annual Report to Congress, the IRS had a backlog of over 3.2 million unprocessed amended returns at one point. The term "referral" in IRS parlance (specifically a Form 911 TAS referral) does have a tracking mechanism, but the 30-day timeline is aspirational rather than guaranteed. Your best option is to request a specific referral to the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) if you're experiencing financial hardship due to the delay.