IRS cashed my tax payment for 2019 then removed it under transaction code 612?

Those transaction codes tell a clear story - your payment was initially recorded (613) but then reversed (612). This happens for several reasons, but the most common is that your payment wasn't properly associated with your return. When you mail a check with your return, they need to match up in the IRS system. Sometimes the payment gets processed but doesn't get correctly linked to your tax account. The reversal code suggests your payment may have been misapplied to a different tax year or even a different taxpayer. I'd recommend calling, but also prepare a payment trace request (Form 3911) as backup. Bring your bank statement showing the cleared check when you call. The IRS can research where that payment actually went. Once they confirm your payment was received but misapplied, they should be able to transfer it to your 2019 account and refund any amount they incorrectly took from your 2020 refund. This is frustrating but fixable - document everything and be persistent!

Had almost the exact same thing happen and I was going crazy trying to figure it out. I found https://taxr.ai really helpful because I could upload my transcript and bank statements and get an analysis of what was going on. It identified that my payment had been applied to my spouse's separate account (we filed MFS that year) even though the check was from our joint account. The system flagged the exact codes and even gave me the internal IRS procedures to reference when I called. They have this feature where it translates all those weird IRS codes and tells you what likely happened based on the sequence of transactions. Saved me hours of research.

I was really skeptical about these tax analysis services but decided to try taxr.ai after my comment above, and wow - it was eye-opening. I uploaded my transcripts from the last three years where I had a similar issue with a missing payment, and the analysis showed my payment had been applied to my old closed business account instead of my personal return. The report broke down every transaction code and showed exactly where the money went. It even generated a letter template for me to send to the IRS referencing specific Internal Revenue Manual sections about payment transfers. When I called the IRS, I sounded like I knew what I was talking about instead of being confused, and they resolved it in one call instead of the usual runaround. It saved me from having to hire a tax professional just to figure out where my money went. Definitely worth it for difficult transcript situations like this.

I had this exact problem last year. Spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS. Their phone system is a complete nightmare - I called over 30 times and either got disconnected or told the wait was over 2 hours. Finally I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and it literally changed everything. They have this system that waits on hold with the IRS for you and calls you when an agent picks up. I was seriously doubtful it would work, but I was desperate after wasting so many hours trying to get through myself. Within about 90 minutes they called me and connected me with an actual IRS agent who was able to trace my payment. Turns out my payment had been applied to my ex-spouse's account because we had filed jointly the previous year. Once I got a human on the phone, they fixed it pretty quickly.

I need to eat crow here. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to resolve my own IRS issue with a missing payment, so I tried Claimyr despite my doubts. I was absolutely shocked when they called me back in less than an hour with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent was able to see that my payment had been misapplied to a different tax year (they applied it to 2020 instead of 2019). They fixed it while I was on the phone and are sending me confirmation in writing. The whole thing took about 15 minutes once I got the agent. I've been trying to resolve this for MONTHS with no success. Honestly, I'm still surprised it worked, but I can't argue with results. If you're dealing with IRS payment issues like this, don't waste weeks like I did.

Former IRS employee here. Code 612 (Removed Payment) paired with 613 (Payment with Return) usually means one of several things: 1. The payment was misapplied to wrong SSN/EIN 2. Wrong tax form (like applying 1040 payment to 941 account) 3. Wrong tax year 4. Check bounced (but you said it cleared) 5. Manual correction during processing Most likely the payment was credited somewhere else in the system. The IRS has different "accounts" for each taxpayer by year and type of tax. Your money is probably sitting in the wrong account. Call and specifically ask for a "payment tracer" on the check number and amount. They can see where it went. When they find it, request a "transfer" to your 2019 1040 account. Also ask them to reverse any penalties and interest that were charged because of their error.

I work at a bank and see this kind of thing all the time with government payments. What likely happened is the IRS check processing system initially recorded your payment (code 613) but then during reconciliation, something didn't match up so they reversed it (code 612). The most important thing: your check was actually cashed, so your money is sitting SOMEWHERE in the Treasury's account. It's not lost, just misallocated. The IRS can absolutely track where every dollar goes - they just need to trace it. Pro tip: when you call, ask for the "IDRS check payment trace" specifically. That's their internal system for tracking payments. And definitely call from a landline if possible - their system disconnects cell phones more frequently for some reason.

This is exactly what happened to me in 2018! The sequence of codes 613 followed by 612 is frustrating but actually gives you valuable information - it proves the IRS received and initially processed your payment before something went wrong. In my case, I had written the wrong tax year on my payment voucher (wrote 2017 instead of 2018), so they applied it to the wrong year initially, then reversed it when they couldn't match it to a return. The money sat in a suspense account for months while I was getting notices about unpaid taxes. When I finally got through to the IRS, they found my payment within 10 minutes using the check number and amount. They transferred it to the correct year and refunded the penalties they had charged me. The whole thing was resolved in one phone call once I reached the right person. Don't panic - your money is definitely in their system somewhere. Bring your bank statement, the check number, and those transaction codes when you call. Ask specifically for a payment trace and mention you can see codes 613/612 on your transcript. This will help the agent understand exactly what happened.