IRS changed my refund amount - What happened?

This sounds like a common issue with the Recovery Rebate Credit. The IRS has been automatically adjusting these claims when they don't match their records. They likely show that you already received the stimulus payment when you believe you didn't. You should have received a notice explaining why they made this adjustment. It would be CP12 or similar letter. This letter will tell you exactly what they changed and why. The most important thing is to look for that explanation. If you're certain you never received the stimulus, you'll need to contact the IRS to dispute this. Since you're having trouble reaching them by phone, consider using the Taxpayer Advocate Service for help or schedule an in-person appointment at your local IRS office through their website.

I went through a similar nightmare last year trying to figure out why my refund was suddenly gone. After spending weeks trying to reach the IRS, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it saved me so much stress. Their AI analyzed my tax documents and actually spotted that the IRS had incorrectly processed my Recovery Rebate Credit because my wife had changed her name after marriage. The system flagged the exact issue and generated a detailed explanation I could use when contacting the IRS. It highlighted the specific line items they misinterpreted and showed me exactly what to reference on my tax return.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from the recommendation above. I was really surprised by how helpful it was! I uploaded my tax return and the notice I got, and it immediately flagged that the IRS was showing my stimulus payment went to a temporary bank account my tax preparer had set up, not my actual account. The analysis showed exactly which line items were causing the discrepancy and generated a detailed letter I could send to the IRS explaining the situation. I'm still waiting for the final resolution, but at least now I understand exactly what happened and have proper documentation to support my case. It's such a relief to know what I'm dealing with instead of being completely in the dark!

After dealing with similar refund adjustment issues last year, I discovered that getting through to an actual IRS person made all the difference. I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) after watching their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c and it was honestly a game-changer. I had been trying for weeks to get through with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to an IRS agent within about 45 minutes when I had previously wasted days of redialing. The agent was able to see that there was a mixup with my stimulus payment record - they had marked it as delivered to me when it actually went to someone with a similar SSN.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it last week when my amended return seemed to disappear into the void. I figured I had nothing to lose. Not only did I get connected to an IRS representative in about 50 minutes, but the agent was able to see that my amended return had been flagged for a simple verification that no one had bothered to tell me about. She cleared it right away and now my refund is being processed. I've literally never been able to reach a human at the IRS before despite trying for years. For anyone dealing with refund issues like the original poster - getting a human on the phone makes all the difference. They can see things in their system that aren't visible on the website or app.

Another possibility is that you might have received the third stimulus payment but forgot about it. It happened to me! Check your bank statements from March-May 2021. The deposit might have been labeled as "IRS TREAS TAX EIP" or something similar. Also, if you filed through a tax prep service last year and had fees taken out of your refund, the stimulus might have gone to their temporary account first. Some people had issues where the payment bounced back and the IRS had to mail a check instead.

Has anyone checked if the Where's My Refund tool gives any more detail? Sometimes it'll at least tell you if they've made an adjustment. Also, check your IRS online account if you have one - sometimes they post notices there before they arrive by mail.

I went through something very similar last year! The IRS adjusted my refund because they claimed I had already received the third stimulus payment, but I was absolutely certain I hadn't. It turned out there was a data processing error on their end where payments to people with similar names in the same zip code got mixed up. The key thing that helped me was getting a transcript of my account directly from the IRS. You can request this online at IRS.gov or by calling their automated transcript line. The transcript will show exactly what payments they have on record for you, including the date and method of any stimulus payments they think you received. In my case, the transcript showed a payment going to a bank account that wasn't mine - that's when I knew for sure it was their error. Once I had that documentation, the phone conversation with the IRS agent was much more productive because I could reference specific transaction codes and dates. Don't panic about the $2400 - if this is truly their mistake, they will correct it. But you'll definitely need to talk to someone to get it sorted out. The various services others mentioned for getting through their phone system might be worth trying if you're still having trouble reaching them.

I had a very similar situation two years ago where the IRS flipped my expected refund into a balance owed. It's absolutely terrifying when that happens, especially when you're not prepared for it financially. One thing that really helped me was requesting a payment transcript from the IRS website (IRS.gov) under "Get Transcript Online." This will show you every payment they have on record for your SSN, including stimulus payments. When I did this, I discovered they had marked my stimulus as "delivered" to an address I had never lived at. The transcript gave me the exact reference numbers and dates I needed when I finally got through to speak with an agent. Having that specific information made the call much more productive - instead of just saying "I never got it," I could say "your records show payment ABC123 was sent to 123 Main Street on March 15th, but I've never lived at that address." It took about 6 weeks total to get resolved once I had the documentation, but they did reverse the adjustment and I got my original refund. The key is getting that paper trail first before trying to argue your case. Don't give up - if you truly didn't receive the payment, they will fix it, but you need the right documentation to prove your case.