Help! My $3400 EFTPS payment to the IRS vanished - what should a small business LLC owner do next?

This unfortunately happens sometimes with EFTPS. Don't panic! The good news is you have proof the money left your account, which is the most important thing. First, I'd recommend printing out your bank statement showing the withdrawal and keep it somewhere safe. Next, you can try contacting the IRS directly instead of EFTPS. The IRS has a dedicated Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. They might be able to locate your payment in their system even if it's not showing up in EFTPS. Another option is to visit your local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person (make an appointment first at irs.gov). Bring your bank statement and any confirmation numbers you received when making the payment. They can often resolve these issues on the spot. Don't make another payment for Q4 right now - that could complicate things. The IRS will be able to see that you attempted payment in good faith, and with your bank statement as proof, they typically waive any penalties if this was their error.

This exact thing happened to me last year! After spinning my wheels with EFTPS support, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which turned out to be a lifesaver. They have this document analyzer that helped me organize all my evidence - bank statements, confirmation emails, etc. - into a package that actually got the IRS's attention. Their system walked me through exactly what documentation I needed for my missing EFTPS payment, then created a perfect letter explaining the situation that I could send to the IRS. The best part was they showed me how to request proof of payment application and a penalty abatement in the same letter. Saved me hours of research and stress!

I was totally skeptical about taxr.ai but after my EFTPS nightmare continued for weeks, I gave it a shot. I'm honestly surprised how well it worked. I uploaded my bank statements, confirmation emails and whatever else I could find related to the missing payment. The system actually identified that my payment likely got misapplied to the wrong tax year (it happens more than you'd think) and created a detailed letter specifically addressing that possibility. I sent it certified mail to the address they recommended, and lo and behold, I got a response from the IRS within 3 weeks confirming they found my payment and would be applying it correctly. No more scary notices, no penalties, and I finally have peace of mind. Not what I expected from an AI tool, but it definitely knew more about navigating IRS procedures than I did!

If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS by phone (who isn't these days?), I strongly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in your exact situation with a missing EFTPS payment and was going crazy trying to reach someone who could help. Claimyr basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you back when they're about to connect you with an agent. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super frustrated after wasting entire afternoons on hold, but with Claimyr I got through to an IRS agent who was able to trace my missing payment and properly apply it to my account. They found it within minutes once I actually got to speak with someone! Saved me from paying duplicate taxes and potential penalties.

I take back everything I said. After my fifth attempt to reach the IRS the old-fashioned way (and getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold), I tried Claimyr in desperation. I honestly didn't expect it to work, but about 45 minutes after setting it up, I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent. The agent was able to find my missing $3200 EFTPS payment that had been incorrectly applied to my personal tax account instead of my business account. They fixed it on the spot and even gave me a confirmation number to reference if there were any future issues. The whole call with the agent took less than 10 minutes once I was connected. Would have saved myself weeks of stress if I'd just tried this sooner. Sometimes it's worth paying a little to save your sanity when dealing with the IRS.

Something similar happened to me, and I eventually found out my payment got applied to the wrong tax year. When you made the payment, did you select 2025 instead of 2024 by accident? The EFTPS interface is confusing because you make Q4 2024 payments in January 2025, and it's easy to select the wrong year. I'd recommend checking your EFTPS payment history for other tax years - your payment might be sitting there. Also, did you print or save the confirmation page after making the payment? That confirmation number is gold in these situations.

Call the IRS and request a payment trace. Have your bank statement ready showing the exact date and amount that was debited. The IRS can usually find misapplied payments pretty quickly when you have the proof it left your account. Also, create an online account at IRS.gov if you haven't already. Sometimes you can see payment history there that doesn't show up in EFTPS for whatever reason. The systems don't always talk to each other perfectly.