IRS Can Verify Without Waiting for Letter - My Experience Today

This is accurate but depends on the specific verification need. According to IRS Publication 1345 Section 5.3, the IRS can conduct certain identity verifications over the phone if you can provide sufficient personal information as outlined in Internal Revenue Manual 21.1.3. However, for more complex verification needs such as income or dependent verification, IRS Form 14815 guidelines still require supporting documentation. The no-letter verification is primarily for identity confirmation cases.

What type of verification were they doing in your case? Was it identity verification or income verification? Did they ask for any specific information during the call to verify you? How long had you been waiting since filing before you called them? I'm wondering if this applies to my situation since I'm at day 25 with no updates on WMR.

My situation was similar to yours, but I wasn't sure what verification codes meant on my transcript. The IRS codes can be really confusing compared to last year's process. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it showed exactly what verification was pending and estimated when it would complete. Much clearer than the IRS's vague 'still processing' message. My verification was for identity, not income documentation, which is probably why they could do it over the phone.

There are actually three different verification processes the IRS might use: 1. Identity verification (can often be done by phone) 2. Income verification (usually needs documentation) 3. Credit verification (for certain credits like EITC) I keep detailed notes of all my tax situations, and last year I had to wait 47 days for a letter and then another 21 days after responding. This year, I called on day 23 and they verified me immediately. The key difference was that this year was just identity verification while last year was income documentation.

Calling is key. Don't wait. IRS phone lines are jammed though. Use Claimyr. Got me through in 18 minutes. Agent verified me on the spot. No letter needed. Refund came 9 days later. Worth every penny. https://claimyr.com saves hours of redial frustration.

According to the IRS.gov updates page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they've implemented new verification procedures for tax year 2023 returns. The 2022 PATH Act still requires certain verification processes, but the IRS has streamlined some verification steps. Has anyone checked the "Where's My Refund" tool after phone verification to see how quickly it updates?

I believe most of us are finding that the IRS processes have become somewhat more efficient this year. Perhaps they've learned from the backlog issues of previous years. I was quite surprised when they verified my information over the phone without requiring the letter. It seems they may be trying to reduce paper correspondence when possible.

I filed on February 12, 2024, and noticed no movement on WMR until March 5. Called on March 6 and they said I needed verification. Instead of waiting for a letter, I asked if they could verify me on the call. They did, and my refund was deposited on March 15. The agent specifically mentioned they started allowing phone verification on January 29, 2024, for certain types of verification flags.