Filed early February, IRS claims they mailed a letter but never received it - now stuck in endless waiting game

Thanks for the detailed response. I have tried calling again but keep getting the "due to high call volume" message and they hang up. My address is definitely correct. I'll check my transcript.

Good luck getting through to the IRS by phone 🤣 I spent 6 hours on hold last month and then got disconnected!

I had the EXACT same situation last year. Turned out there was a mismatch on my AGI from previous year that triggered fraud protection. Finally got it sorted after 3 months 😑

Yeah getting through is the hardest part. Try calling right when they open (7am EST). Or use Claimyr.com - it holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting.

What's this Claimyr thing? Never heard of it but willing to try anything at this point tbh

It's a service that navigates the IRS phone tree for you and calls you when there's an actual human ready to talk. Not free but worth every penny to not waste your whole day on hold.

Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

It does WAY more than just read the transcript. It explains what every code means in plain English, tells you exactly why your refund is delayed, what steps you need to take, and gives you a timeline of what's happening. It even told me what specific form I needed to submit to fix my issue. Honestly saved me weeks of stress and confusion. Best tax tool I've found in years.

hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different?

I get the skepticism - I was hesitant too. The difference is this one actually delivers what it promises. It's like having an IRS insider interpret everything for you. My refund got released 2 weeks after I followed the steps it recommended. No more guesswork or anxiety.

sounds like one of those ads that pops up everywhere. anyone ACTUALLY try this? 🤔

Yeah I get why it sounds sketchy but it's legit. All it does is navigate the phone system and waits on hold for you. When an agent actually answers, it calls your phone and connects you. Talking to a real person solved my problem in minutes after weeks of frustration.

wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS? The IRS phone system is literally designed to make people give up lol

I know right? The system is totally designed to wear you down. But this actually works - it just automates the hold process so you don't have to sit there listening to the same terrible music for 3 hours. Talking to an agent was what finally broke my logjam.

Nah don't listen to this advice. If they need verification and you ignore it, they'll just adjust your return and you could lose credits or deductions. Better to be proactive.

Ok smartypants, how exactly is OP supposed to be "proactive" about a letter they never received? 🙄

By calling like they already did and asking specifically what info they need or what's holding up the return. By checking their transcript. By using tools like taxr.ai that can tell you exactly what's happening. There's plenty you can do besides just waiting.

That's depressing 😭 I was hoping to get this money for some bills that are coming due soon.

Call them. Seriously. Stop waiting and call. Use a service like claimyr.com if u have trouble getting thru. i waited for 3 months like an idiot before calling and found out they needed one simple form from me.

No, they just said they were sending another letter but wouldn't tell me what it was about. Something about security protocols not letting them disclose that over the phone. Which makes zero sense.

Classic IRS. "We can't tell you what we need from you, but we need something from you." 🤡 Try checking your transcript online - it might have codes that explain what's happening.

I created an account but I'm having trouble understanding all the codes and dates in the transcript. Is there anywhere that explains what they mean?

There's a tool called taxr.ai that breaks down all the transcript codes and explains exactly what's happening with your return. Much easier than trying to decipher it yourself. https://taxr.ai

Thanks for the specific number, I'll try calling that one directly.

Be prepared for a looong wait time on that number too. I tried for 2 weeks and could never get through. Ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me when an agent was available. Worth it to finally get through.

Taxpayer Advocate is useless now too. They're so backlogged they're only taking "hardship" cases where you're about to be evicted or have utilities shut off.

Damn, didn't realize it had gotten that bad. The whole system is broken 💩

Any tips for actually getting through to a human? I've tried calling at different times of day for weeks with no luck.

Try calling right at 7am EST when they open, or use one of those services that waits on hold for you like Claimyr. Also avoid Mondays and the day after holidays - those are the worst.

Yes, I claimed EIC. That must be it.

Almost certainly what happened then. They do extra verification on those because of past fraud issues. You probably need to provide additional documentation to verify your eligibility.

I see codes but I'm not sure what they mean. There's a 570 and a 971 from around when they said they sent the first letter.

570 is a refund hold and 971 is a notice issued. So they definitely generated a letter but it either got lost in the mail or went to wrong address. You'll need to call to find out what the notice was about specifically.

Is there any way to see what the notice was about without calling? It's so hard to get through.

There's a service called taxr.ai that can analyze those codes and tell you exactly what they mean and what you need to do next. Saved me hours of research and phone calls.

This! In-person appointments are way easier to get than phone calls these days. Just make sure to bring ID and any tax documents you have.