Filed Form 8379 (Injured Spouse) - How long for processing and what should I expect?

I filed an injured spouse form last tax season (2023) and it took exactly 19 weeks to process. The standard processing time they claim is 8-14 weeks, but that's rarely accurate based on my experience and what I've heard from others. When it finally processed, I received my portion of the refund according to the allocation worksheet we filled out on the form. The IRS kept my husband's portion for his student loan debt. Make sure you completed Part III of the form correctly - that's where you allocate income, deductions, and credits between you and your spouse. This determines how much of the refund you should get back. Also, check your transcript for TC 971 with an action code of 281 - that indicates they've processed your injured spouse claim. You might see TC 700 when they actually issue your refund. Hang in there - it's frustrating but they do eventually process these claims!

I've been dealing with injured spouse claims for years because of my husband's student loans. You should really try using taxr.ai for this. It helped me understand exactly what was happening with my transcript and predicted when my injured spouse allocation would process. Way better than guessing and stressing about what all those codes mean. The tool clearly showed me when my Form 8379 was received and processed, and even estimated when I'd get my portion of the refund based on similar cases. It's insanely good! I use it every week. https://taxr.ai

After waiting for 20 weeks on my injured spouse form with no movement, I got fed up and found a way to actually speak with someone at the IRS through claimyr.com. Got connected with an agent in about 30 minutes who explained that my form got stuck in processing. They manually released it while I was on the call, and I got my portion of the refund within 10 days. Talking to an agent got my refund released so fast - would've been waiting forever otherwise.

Filed my injured spouse form in February 2024 and got my portion of the refund in August. Took about 22 weeks total. I got back approximately 70% of our refund based on the income allocation. My husband's half went to his defaulted student loans. Be patient but also keep checking your transcripts.

what happens if you filed jointly but didnt submit an injured spouse form initially? can you still file one after the tax return was already accepted? My husbands refund just got seized for his back child support and i had no idea i needed to file that form to protect my portion.

The IRS is a joke. I filed injured spouse in 2022 and it took 11 months to process. ELEVEN MONTHS for what should be a simple allocation. Then they messed up the math and I had to call for a correction. I feel your pain and wish I had better news but prepare for a long wait. 🤡

Filed one in 2023 and got exactly half of our refund back. Processing took 17 weeks. They split everything 50/50 despite the fact that I earned 70% of our income. Not sure if I filled something out wrong or if that's just how they do it.

Im in this exact boat right now. Filed jointly with my husband (first time married) in March 2024 and our entire $5,100 refund was taken for his back child support from years ago. Filed injured spouse form right away when I saw what happened but still waiting 18 weeks later. Called IRS twice and both times just told me to "keep waiting" 😤

hot tip: if you know your spouse has debt that could be offset, just file SEPARATELY. yes you might pay a bit more in taxes, but you'll get your refund way faster and won't have to deal with the injured spouse nightmare. learned this the hard way after 3 years of dealing with this nonsense.

PSA for anyone dealing with injured spouse forms: MAKE COPIES OF EVERYTHING and keep detailed notes of when you submitted paperwork. My form mysteriously disappeared from the IRS system twice before it finally got processed. The third time I sent it certified mail and that seemed to do the trick. Took 16 weeks after that final submission.

I filed an injured spouse form in 2023 and I'm STILL waiting for it to be processed. Called multiple times and keep getting different answers. One agent said it's still processing, another said they have no record of receiving it, a third said it was already processed but the check hasn't been issued. The IRS is a dumpster fire.

Hi there! Tax professional here. Injured spouse allocations typically take 16-22 weeks to process right now (not the 8-14 weeks the IRS claims). For your portion of the refund, it will be based on how you completed Part III of Form 8379. The formula basically allocates based on your income and withholding compared to the joint total. So if you earned 60% of the income and had 60% of the withholding, you should get about 60% of the refund. But it's more complicated with credits like EIC or Child Tax Credit, as those get allocated based on qualifying dependents.

man i feel ur pain. going thru this mess now too. hubby has back student loans and our whole 7k refund got yeeted. filed injured spouse in april and still nothing. irs website is a joke - no real updates and cant talk to a human 🤬

Curious - did you use tax software to prepare your return and injured spouse form? I used TurboTax and they warned me it would take 6+ months to process. Mine took exactly 25 weeks from filing to getting my portion back. Long wait but at least I got my share eventually.

Look for TC 971 AC 281 on your transcript - thats the code that means they received your injured spouse form. Then TC 971 AC 231 is when they approve/process it. Finally TC 846 is when they issue your refund. Took me 18 weeks in 2022 and 21 weeks in 2023. IRS seems to put these at the bottom of the priority list.

I'm done with the injured spouse form. Used it for 3 years bc of my husbands student loans. Each time took 16+ weeks. This year we just filed separately. Yes we paid more in taxes (about $1200 more between us) but I got my refund in 2 weeks instead of 5 months. Mental health & cash flow were worth the extra tax cost.

Random question for the group: if my injured spouse claim is approved, does the IRS send a letter first or do they just deposit the money? Been waiting 17 weeks and checking my mailbox AND bank account daily 😅

Just want to share some hope - I filed injured spouse in March 2024 with our tax return (husband owed back taxes). Our refund was initially $4,230 and they took it all in April. FINALLY on August 9th, I received $2,670 back which was my portion. So it took about 21 weeks total. Hang in there!

I'm going through something similar right now! Filed my injured spouse form in March 2024 and I'm at week 20 with absolutely no movement on my transcript. My spouse has old tax debt and they grabbed our entire $2,800 refund. What's really frustrating is that I called the IRS at week 16 and they told me it was "still processing" but couldn't give me any timeline. The agent said my form was received but that's literally all they could tell me. I've been checking for those transaction codes people mentioned (TC 971 AC 281) but I only see the initial offset codes. Starting to wonder if my form got lost in the system somewhere. Did anyone else have zero transcript updates for this long before it finally processed? Really hoping yours moves soon - this whole process is such a nightmare when you're just trying to get back money that's rightfully yours!

I'm currently dealing with this exact situation too! Filed my injured spouse form in May 2024 and I'm at 18 weeks now with minimal movement on my transcript. My husband has old student loan debt and they seized our entire $4,100 refund. What's been helpful for me is creating a spreadsheet to track all the transaction codes and dates - it helps me spot any small changes I might have missed. I've seen TC 971 AC 281 on my transcript which means they received my form, but still waiting for the AC 231 code that shows it's actually processed. One thing I learned from calling the IRS is that they're apparently backed up even more than usual this year. The agent told me that injured spouse claims filed with 2023 returns (for 2024 processing) are taking 20-26 weeks on average, not the 8-14 weeks they advertise. I know it's incredibly frustrating - we're basically giving the government an interest-free loan while they take their sweet time figuring out how to give us back our own money! But based on what I've read here and other forums, it does eventually process. Just wish there was better communication about realistic timelines. Hang in there - hopefully we'll both see movement soon! 🤞

I'm in a similar situation and feel your frustration! Filed my injured spouse form in March 2024 after my husband's old student loan debt caused them to offset our entire $4,500 refund. I'm now at 19 weeks with very minimal movement on my transcript. What I've learned through this painful process: 1. The 8-14 week timeframe is completely unrealistic. From everyone I've talked to and posts I've read, 18-25 weeks seems to be the actual reality right now. 2. Look for TC 971 AC 281 on your transcript - that shows they received your form. Then TC 971 AC 231 means it's processed and approved. Finally TC 846 is when they actually issue the refund. 3. The amount you get back depends on how you completed Part III of the form. If you earned 60% of the household income and had similar withholding percentages, you should get roughly 60% of the refund back. 4. Calling the IRS before 20+ weeks usually just gets you the standard "still processing" response and doesn't speed anything up. I know it's incredibly frustrating to wait this long for your own money, especially when you need it. Just try to stay patient - from what I've seen, these do eventually process, it just takes way longer than it should. Keep checking your transcript weekly and hopefully you'll see movement soon! The system is definitely broken when we have to wait 5+ months to get back money that was rightfully ours to begin with. Hang in there! 💪