How long does the IRS take to refund FICA taxes (and process Form 843)?

When you mention the "IRS account transcript" - is that the same as the Account Transcript in the Tax Records section? I filed a 843 about 4 months ago and I'm not seeing anything about it in my transcripts. Do they actually show Form 843 processing or just the refund if/when it's approved?

Yes, that's exactly right - it's the Account Transcript in the Tax Records section. Form 843 processing doesn't always show up clearly on transcripts until there's an actual determination. What you're looking for would be a transaction code (TC) 290, 291, or 971 with the refund amount or a notice being issued. Many people don't see anything on their transcript until the claim is actually approved and the refund is processed. The lack of visibility during processing is one of the frustrating parts of Form 843 claims. If you've hit the 4-month mark, it's still within normal processing times given current backlogs, but you could try calling to check status.

Did it actually help speed up the process though? I'm in month 5 of waiting and getting anxious about my $3200 refund. Was the service able to tell you if your form was actually being processed or just confirm you filled it out right?

I'm skeptical of these AI services. Can you actually talk to a real tax professional through this or is it just some algorithm analyzing documents? My situation is complicated because I was incorrectly classified as an employee when I should have been an independent contractor, so I'm trying to get back both the employee AND employer portions of FICA.

It didn't speed up the IRS processing time - nothing can really do that unfortunately. But it did confirm that my form was filled out correctly and that my documentation was sufficient for my claim. It gave me peace of mind knowing I hadn't made any mistakes that would cause a rejection. The service combines AI document analysis with real tax professionals who review complex cases. For your independent contractor situation, they'd actually be really helpful since they can analyze your specific classification factors and documentation needs for reclaiming both portions of FICA taxes. That's a more complex situation than mine was, and they specifically mentioned that contractor vs. employee cases were something they specialized in.

How does this actually work? Do they have some special IRS phone number or something? I've been trying to get through for weeks about my FICA refund.

This sounds like BS honestly. Nobody can "get you through" to the IRS faster. They have one phone system and everyone has to use the same numbers. Not trying to be rude but I'm super suspicious of services claiming they can magically bypass IRS wait times.

They don't have a special number - they use a call system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. When an agent picks up, you get a call back to connect with them. It's basically like having someone wait on hold for you instead of doing it yourself. I was skeptical too before trying it. They don't "bypass" anything - they just automate the waiting process so you don't have to sit there for hours listening to hold music. The IRS doesn't prioritize their calls differently, but they do ensure you don't lose your place in line due to dropped calls or phone tree errors, which happened to me several times when trying on my own.

In my experience (retired IRS), Medicare-only refunds on Form 843 tend to be slightly faster to process than full FICA refunds because they're more straightforward to verify. The complexity comes from your specific situation - if you worked for multiple employers, for instance, the IRS has to verify combined income across W-2s. Did you attach copies of all your W-2s and a calculation worksheet showing exactly how you determined the overpayment amount?

I did attach copies of both W-2s (I had two employers last year) and included a detailed worksheet showing how I calculated the overpayment. I specifically highlighted the Medicare withholding amounts on both forms and showed that I had exceeded the threshold for one portion but was still incorrectly charged for the other. I'll try to be patient a bit longer since it sounds like even the "faster" types still take several months. Thanks for the insight about the multiple employer verification - that makes sense why it might take additional time.

That's ridiculous! Did you get any interest on the refund at least? I'm wondering if I should even bother with my $900 FICA refund if it's going to take that long. Might not be worth the hassle.

Yes, they did pay interest on the refund! It was calculated from the date they received the Form 843 until the refund was issued - ended up being about $85 additional. The IRS uses their standard underpayment interest rate for refund interest. For a $900 refund, you'd probably get around $30-40 in interest after 9 months, so it's still worth filing if you legitimately overpaid. The frustrating part isn't the money - it's the complete lack of communication during processing. But once it finally goes through, you do get compensated for their delay.