IRS Hasn't Finalized One or More of Your Forms - What Should I Do Now?

Thank you for the quick response! TurboTax didn't specifically tell me which form wasn't finalized, just gave me that general message. I went back through my return and I'm wondering if it might be related to the 1099-NEC I received for my side gig since that's new for me this year. Is there any way to check which IRS forms are still pending finalization? And roughly how long does it usually take for them to finalize everything?

The IRS doesn't typically publish a detailed schedule of which forms are being finalized when, but you can check the IRS website for general notices about delayed forms. For your specific situation, you can actually contact TurboTax support directly - they usually have up-to-date information about which forms are causing the hold-up. For the 1099-NEC forms, those are usually finalized early in the season since they're quite common, but it's definitely possible there's some issue with them this year. In most cases, forms get finalized within 1-3 weeks of when people start reporting issues. If you're not in a rush for your refund, I'd recommend waiting about a week and trying again.

How does this taxr.ai thing work exactly? Does it just tell you about form issues or does it do more? I'm having similar problems with my return right now and wondering if it's worth checking out.

Seems suspicious tbh. How would some random website know IRS internal processing schedules better than TurboTax which actually works with the IRS? Not trying to be rude just skeptical of tax services that make big claims.

It works by analyzing your tax documents and cross-referencing them with real-time IRS acceptance data. It doesn't just identify form issues - it also checks for potential audit triggers, missing credits you might qualify for, and errors in your documentation. You just upload your forms, and it gives you a complete analysis. As for how they know the IRS schedules, they're pulling data from multiple sources including the IRS itself, tax preparers, and aggregate filing statistics. It's not just making guesses - they're tracking when forms start being successfully processed through the system. I was skeptical too until I tried it and saw it was exactly right about when my Schedule E would be accepted.

Wait, how is this even possible? The IRS hold times are like 2+ hours. There's no way this actually works, right? Sounds too good to be true.

So you're saying this service somehow jumps the IRS phone queue? That seems sketchy or possibly not legal. Not saying you're lying but I find it hard to believe there's a secret way to bypass IRS wait times that costs money.

It doesn't jump the queue or do anything sketchy. What happens is they have an automated system that calls the IRS and navigates through all the complicated phone trees and holds the line for you. When they finally reach a point where a human agent is available, they connect you to the call. They're basically just saving you from having to sit on hold yourself and navigate the confusing phone system. It's completely legitimate - they're just waiting in line for you. And yes, the wait times are usually horrible, but they have technology that can monitor multiple lines simultaneously to find the fastest access point into the IRS phone system.

Thanks for the suggestion! I tried logging out and back in but still got the same message. I did find something in the "Tax Documents" section though - looks like there might be an issue with the self-employment tax forms. I guess I'll wait a week or so and try again. Really appreciate everyone's help with this!

Glad you were able to at least identify which form might be causing the issue! Self-employment forms can definitely be among those that get delayed. If you want a rough timeline, in previous years the self-employment forms were usually finalized by mid-February, so you probably won't have to wait too long. One other option is to call TurboTax directly - sometimes they have internal notices about when specific forms will be ready that aren't publicized on their main site. Their customer service can often give you a more precise timeline.

This is correct. The IRS announced a processing delay for 1099-NEC forms specifically for the 2025 filing season due to changes in the contractor classification rules that were passed late last year. They're updating the form to include the new verification codes for gig workers. Last I heard they should be finalized by February 15th.

That's super helpful to know! I definitely did some gig work this year so that's probably exactly what's causing my issue. I'll just wait until after February 15th and try again. Thank you!!