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Carlos Mendoza

Anyone who amended their returns with Form 7202 for SETC/sick and family leave COVID credits for 2020/2021 - what was your experience?

I'm trying to figure out what to expect after submitting my amended returns with Form 7202 for the self-employment tax credits for sick and family leave from the COVID period. I finally got around to filing these for both 2020 and 2021 about three weeks ago, and I'm completely in the dark about the timeline. How long did it take for you to receive your credits after submitting the amendment? Did you get separate payments for 2020 and 2021, or did they combine them? And did they send you paper checks or direct deposit the funds? My accountant wasn't very helpful and just said "it depends" for everything. I'm self-employed and had to take care of my kids during school closures, so I qualified for the family leave credits. Just trying to get a sense of what to expect since I'm hearing wildly different timeframes from different people. Thanks for any insights!

I helped several clients amend their returns with Form 7202 for these credits. The process typically takes 16-20 weeks from the date the IRS receives your amendment, though I've seen some get processed faster lately as the backlog has improved. For most of my clients, the IRS processed the years separately, so they received two separate payments. The payment method generally follows however you originally received your tax refund - if you got direct deposit for your original return, the amendment refund usually comes the same way. However, some people reported receiving paper checks regardless of their original refund method. One thing to note: you can check the status of your amended return on the IRS website using the "Where's My Amended Return?" tool. You'll need your SSN, date of birth, and ZIP code. This won't tell you when you'll get paid, but at least you'll know if they've started processing it.

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Does the IRS notify you when they finish processing the amendment? I filed mine in January for both years and I'm still waiting. The "Where's My Amended Return?" tool just says "received" but it's been over 4 months now.

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The IRS doesn't always send notifications when they finish processing amendments. The online tool should update to show "completed" status once they've finished processing, but sometimes there's a delay between completion and when the tool updates. After 4 months, it might be worth calling the IRS to check on the status. Sometimes amendments get held up due to verification processes or simple backlogs. If you call them, make sure you have your tax return information handy, as they'll need to verify your identity.

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I had serious confusion trying to figure out the Form 7202 credits until I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my specific situation. Their system helped me understand exactly what credits I qualified for based on my self-employment situation during COVID. My accountant missed over $6,400 in eligible credits! The tool breaks down the difference between the sick leave and family leave credits and showed me how to properly claim them for both 2020 and 2021. Really amazing that they could look at my specific documents and give me personalized guidance when even tax pros were confused about these special COVID provisions.

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How does it actually work? Do you upload your tax docs and it gives advice specific to your situation? I'm confused about whether I qualify because I was only partially self-employed in 2020 but fully self-employed in 2021.

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I'm skeptical about using online services for something as complex as COVID tax credits. How do they handle security with all your sensitive tax info? And are they actually licensed tax professionals?

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The process is super straightforward - you upload your relevant tax documents and the AI analyzes them specifically for your situation. It works really well for mixed employment like yours because it can identify the self-employment portions that qualify for the credits in both years. Security is actually their strong point - they use bank-level encryption and their system is SOC 2 compliant which is the gold standard for handling financial data. The underlying analysis is based on guidance from licensed tax professionals, but they make it clear they're not providing legal tax advice - just document analysis to help you understand what you qualify for.

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I was initially skeptical about using online services for tax help, but after struggling with the Form 7202 credits for weeks, I gave https://taxr.ai a try. Completely changed my experience! The system analyzed my 1040s from both years and identified exactly where I'd made errors in my original calculation. Turns out I was eligible for an additional $3,875 in credits I'd missed. The report it generated was super detailed and gave me everything I needed to file my amendments properly. I just received my first refund check last week for the 2020 amendment - took about 14 weeks total. Still waiting on 2021 but at least I know it's coming. Definitely recommend if you're dealing with these complicated COVID-era tax provisions.

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After waiting for MONTHS on my amended returns with Form 7202, I finally gave up calling the regular IRS number (was on hold for 2+ hours multiple times). Used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent in less than 30 minutes. There's a cool demo video here if you're curious how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Found out my 2020 amendment was approved but stuck in some processing queue, and my 2021 hadn't even been assigned to a reviewer yet. The agent was able to expedite both of them since I was experiencing financial hardship. Don't think I would've gotten anywhere without actually talking to someone who could see what was happening with my specific returns.

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Wait how does this actually work? Does it somehow get you to the front of the IRS phone queue? That sounds impossible given how notoriously difficult it is to reach anyone there.

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Yeah right. No way some service can magically get you through to the IRS when millions of people can't get through. Sounds like a scam to get desperate taxpayers' money. I've been waiting 7 months for my Form 7202 amendment and accepted that I'll get it when I get it.

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It doesn't put you at the "front" of the queue exactly. From what I understand, they use an automated system that continually calls the IRS using their various phone numbers and navigates the phone tree until they get a spot in the hold queue. Once they secure a spot, they call you and connect you to that spot in the queue. It's definitely not a scam - I was skeptical too, but it legitimately works. I spoke with an actual IRS representative who had full access to my tax record and amendment status. Without this service I'd probably still be attempting to call them myself and getting nowhere. It's essentially paying someone else to handle the frustrating part of waiting on hold for hours.

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I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After weeks of failing to reach the IRS about my 7202 amendment, I broke down and tried Claimyr. Within 45 minutes, I was talking to an actual IRS agent who found both my amendments. Turns out my 2020 amendment had been approved MONTHS ago but the check was sent to my old address and returned to the IRS. The agent was able to update my address and reissue the payment. For 2021, there was a simple mistake that was causing it to be held up, which she fixed on the spot. For anyone waiting on Form 7202 amendments, definitely worth it to actually speak with someone who can see what's happening in the system rather than just checking the online tool that barely tells you anything.

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My experience with the Form 7202 amendment process: - Filed amendments for both 2020 and 2021 in November 2024 - Received 2020 refund via direct deposit in February 2025 (about 12 weeks) - Still waiting on 2021 (currently week 18) I used TurboTax to file the amendments and had documentation for all the days I couldn't work due to COVID school closures. The credits were substantial for me as a self-employed consultant - around $9,300 for 2020 and $11,400 for 2021. One thing I learned: make sure your address is current with the IRS! My neighbor filed around the same time and his check went to his old address because he forgot to update it when he moved.

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Did you get any kind of notification when your amendment was approved? Or did the money just show up in your account? I'm at week 14 for my 2020 amendment and feeling anxious.

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The money actually just showed up in my account with no prior notification. The deposit was labeled "IRS TREAS TAX REF" with a long number after it. About a week later, I received a formal letter from the IRS explaining the adjustment and confirming the amount. I completely understand the anxiety! The waiting period is tough, especially when these credits can be substantial amounts. Based on what I've heard from others, the 14-16 week mark seems to be when many people start seeing movement, so you might be very close.

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Wondering if anyone had their amendments rejected? My CPA helped me file mine in December for both years, but just got a letter saying my 2020 amendment was rejected because I didn't qualify. Something about not having enough self-employment income?? I definitely had my photography business the whole year and had to cancel shoots due to getting COVID myself.

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Did you have a net profit from self-employment? The credits are based on your net self-employment income, not just gross revenue. If your Schedule C showed a loss for the year, you wouldn't qualify. Also, you needed to have been unable to work specifically due to COVID reasons outlined in the FFCRA.

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You're right - I just looked at my 2020 return again and although I had about $10,000 in gross income from photography, after expenses I actually showed a small net loss for the year. So technically I didn't have self-employment income to claim the credit against. I qualified in terms of the COVID reason (I was sick with COVID for 2 weeks), but I guess the income requirement is what disqualified me. Really frustrating since I lost real bookings and income, but on paper it looks like I didn't have income to replace. Thanks for helping me understand why it was rejected!

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I filed my Form 7202 amendments back in September 2024 for both years and finally received both payments in January 2025 - took about 18 weeks total. The IRS processed them separately as expected, with the 2020 refund coming about 2 weeks before the 2021 one. One thing that might help others - I called the IRS around week 16 when I was getting worried, and the agent told me that amendments with Form 7202 are taking longer than regular amendments because they require additional review. She said they're being extra careful with these COVID-era credits due to fraud concerns. Both payments came via direct deposit since that's how I received my original refunds. The amounts were exactly what I calculated - $8,200 for 2020 and $6,400 for 2021. I qualified for the family leave credits since I had to stay home with my kids during school closures in both years while running my consulting business. Hang in there Carlos - based on your timeline of 3 weeks ago, you're probably looking at another 12-15 weeks, but the money will come!

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