Finally received my IRS verification letter after requesting it - filed 1/31/25 and still waiting on refund
Title: Finally received my IRS verification letter after requesting it - filed 1/31/25 and still waiting on refund 1 Just wanted to share my experience with this year's tax filing. I submitted my return on January 31st, 2025 and got the acceptance confirmation the same day. Then I entered the endless waiting game for my verification letter. Days turned into weeks with nothing showing up in my mailbox. I finally got fed up and decided to request the verification letter directly. Amazingly, about a week after I made the request, the letter finally arrived! Here's the kicker - the letter was dated the exact same day I requested it. Which means if I hadn't proactively asked for it, I'd probably still be checking my mailbox every day like a crazy person. So now I've got my verification letter, but the waiting game continues for the actual refund. One hurdle down, one more to go! Anyone else in the same boat this tax season?
18 comments
Join the conversation
Alexis Robinson
11 Based on your timeline, this is actually pretty common with the IRS this filing season. Their automated systems should send verification letters shortly after acceptance, but with the volume of returns they're processing, this step sometimes falls through the cracks. The good news is that requesting the verification letter doesn't reset or delay your refund processing. The verification letter is really just confirmation that your return was received and accepted into their system. Your refund processing has been continuing in the background regardless of whether you had the physical letter or not. For reference, the IRS is currently taking about 21-25 days to process straightforward electronic returns with direct deposit. If your return contains certain credits like EITC or CTC, it might take longer due to additional verification steps.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•4 Thanks for the clarification! Do you know if having to request the verification letter is a sign that something might be wrong with my return? Also, is there any way to check the actual status of my refund besides the "Where's My Refund" tool?
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•11 Having to request a verification letter doesn't indicate any problems with your return. It's purely an administrative hiccup on the IRS side - they're processing millions of returns and sometimes the automatic letter generation gets delayed. The "Where's My Refund" tool is actually the most accurate way to check your status. The IRS phone representatives generally have access to the same information you see there. You could also create an account on IRS.gov to view your account information, which sometimes shows processing status that's not yet reflected in Where's My Refund.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
18 Had the exact same issue last year and discovered taxr.ai which was a lifesaver. I uploaded my documents and it analyzed everything including my verification status. The site (https://taxr.ai) has this cool feature that checks for potential verification issues and gives you suggested next steps based on your specific situation. After following their recommendation to request the verification letter directly, I got mine within days. The system also analyzed my previous tax documents to identify why I might be experiencing delays and gave me a timeline estimate that was spot on!
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•7 Does this actually work for checking refund status too? The IRS site is so frustrating and just keeps showing me the same "still processing" message for weeks.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•22 I'm skeptical about these third-party services. How does it have access to IRS information that I couldn't just get myself? Sounds like they're just telling you to do what you'd do anyway but charging for it?
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•18 It absolutely works for refund status tracking. Unlike the basic IRS tracker that only shows three general statuses, taxr.ai analyzes your specific tax situation and compares it to current processing trends. This gives you a much more accurate timeline prediction. The service doesn't access private IRS information - it analyzes your documents and uses pattern recognition from thousands of other tax situations. It's not just telling you what to do - it's giving you personalized guidance based on your specific tax scenario. Their document analysis caught a potential flag on my return that would have likely triggered a manual review.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
7 Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was actually really helpful! I uploaded my documents and it immediately pointed out that my verification delay was likely due to a mismatch between my reported income and what my employer submitted. There was a small discrepancy I hadn't noticed. The timeline estimate was super accurate too - said I should expect the refund 28 days after filing rather than the standard 21, and that's exactly what happened. Definitely less stressful when you have a realistic timeframe instead of just wondering what's happening!
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
14 After dealing with similar verification letter issues, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the usual hours-long wait. There's a video about how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was at my wit's end trying to figure out why my verification letter hadn't arrived and whether my refund was actually processing. The agent confirmed everything was moving along but explained they had a backlog of verification letters. She manually triggered mine to be sent and gave me accurate information about my refund timeline instead of the generic "still processing" status.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•3 Wait, how does this actually work? The IRS phone lines are impossible to get through - I tried calling like 15 times and kept getting the "call volume too high" message.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•22 This sounds like a scam honestly. Nobody can magically get through to the IRS when their lines are full. They probably just keep auto-dialing and charge you for the privilege of something you could do yourself.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•14 It works by using an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and continuously redials when it encounters busy signals. When it finally establishes a connection, it calls you and connects you directly to the agent. It's basically doing the tedious redial work for you. The service doesn't provide any special access - it's just handling the frustrating and time-consuming part of actually getting through on the phone lines. And trust me, after spending three days trying to call myself and never getting past the busy signal, having someone else handle that part was completely worth it.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
22 Just coming back to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After continuing to get nowhere with the IRS for another week, I broke down and tried it. Got connected to an IRS rep in about 20 minutes! The agent explained that my return had been flagged for a minor identity verification check (apparently my address change triggered it), but the notification letter was still in the queue to be sent. She pushed it through immediately and told me exactly when to expect my refund once the verification is complete. No more guessing games!
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
9 I'm still waiting on my refund too, filed 2/1/25. What's frustrating is the "Where's My Refund" tool still says "Processing" with no other details. Has anyone found a better way to get actual status updates? Is calling the IRS even worth it this early in the wait?
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•5 In my experience, calling before the 21-day mark is pretty useless. They'll just tell you it's still within the normal processing time. I'd wait until at least 21 days have passed before trying to contact them - then at least they might give you more specific info about any delays.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•9 Thanks for the advice. You're right - I should probably wait until the 21-day mark passes. My return is pretty straightforward so hopefully it won't take much longer than that. Just the waiting and uncertainty that drives me crazy!
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
16 Anyone wondering about verification letters - I worked seasonal customer service for the IRS last year, and we were insanely backed up with generating these notifications. Your refund processing isn't linked to whether you have the verification letter or not. The letter is just confirmation your return was accepted into the system.
0 coins
Alexis Robinson
•1 That's good to know! So even though I'm still waiting for that verification letter, my refund is still being processed behind the scenes? I was worried the whole process was on hold until I got that official verification.
0 coins