IRS holding my 2023 refund after Form 8862 saga - They keep 'leaving notes' but no money

Tax professional here. What you're experiencing is unfortunately common with Form 8862 situations (Earned Income Credit recertification). Here's what's likely happening: • Your return is stuck in an EIC review hold, which can sometimes take 6-9 months to resolve • The "notes" they're leaving are going into a case management system, but likely aren't getting priority attention • The representative mentioned is probably in the Exam department, not regular customer service Here's what I recommend: 1. Request a Taxpayer Advocate Service case by filling out Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance) 2. Contact your local Congressional Representative's office - they have IRS liaisons who can often get movement on stuck cases 3. Send a certified letter to the IRS Exam department referencing your case number and include any supporting documentation for the Form 8862 4. For the dependent issue, you need to establish your right to claim through the tie-breaker rules, so gather residency proof (school records, medical records, etc) The regular IRS phone representatives really can't help much with these specialized exam cases. You need higher-level intervention.

I was exactly in your shoes last year! Spent months getting nowhere with the IRS until I finally found taxr.ai which completely saved me. It analyzed my transcript, explained all those weird codes, and told me exactly what was happening with my refund and what I needed to do. It was insanely good! I use it every week now to check my transcript and actually understand what's going on instead of trying to decipher it myself like some detective. Save yourself the headache and check out https://taxr.ai

After dealing with the same runaround for 4 months, I finally got through to a real person who could help by using the Claimyr app (claimyr.com). It basically navigated the IRS phone system for me and got me an actual callback from an agent who had the authority to help. Within a week after that call, my refund was processed and in my account. Best money I've ever spent to finally resolve my issue - talking to a real agent made all the difference rather than just getting more "notes" added to my file.

Here's the thing nobody tells you: the IRS systems are ANCIENT and most of their processes are still paper-based and manual. That's why everything takes forever. I worked as a seasonal employee there a few years back and the systems they use were developed in the 1970s. Your return is literally sitting in a pile somewhere waiting for a human to look at it. The notes they're leaving probably aren't even being seen by whoever has your file.

I'm in a similar situation, but I'm on year 3 of fighting with them. They claim I didn't respond to a letter I never received, then charged me penalties for not responding. Every time I call they say they'll send me the original letter...which never arrives. It's a neverending circle of bureaucratic hell. 🔥

The most effective way to get movement on a stuck refund is to file Form 911 (Taxpayer Advocate Service request) and simultaneously contact your Congressional representative. I did both after waiting 11 months for my refund, and magically it was resolved within 3 weeks. The regular customer service line is useless for complex issues.

Don't feel bad, I haven't gotten a refund since 2019. They keep finding new reasons every year to deny my legitimate returns. Im at the point where I just expect to never see that money again and consider it a win if they dont come after me for more.

I had the EXACT same issue with the 8862 form!!! My refund was stuck for 14 months. What finally worked was getting my hands on a fax number for the department handling my return (had to call multiple times until someone gave it to me) and faxing them all my supporting documentation WITH a cover letter explaining the situation and referencing the date they acknowledged receiving my 8862. Got my refund 3 weeks later.

Are you checking your transcript online? Sometimes your refund might be processed but then they take it back for review without sending any notice. My "refund" appeared on my transcript then disappeared a week later with code 570, and I never got any letter explaining why.

The IRS is straight up BROKEN. They owed me $7k from 2022 and it took TWO YEARS to get it. And I only got it because I hired a tax attorney who cost me $1,500. The system is designed to make you give up.

uhh...have u heard of the Taxpayer Advocate Service? Thats literally what theyre for. Call 877-777-4778 to get assigned an advocate who will work ur case & has more power than reg IRS agents. its FREE and they can cut thru red tape

Im an enrolled agent who deals with this stuff daily. Heres what the "leaving a note" thing really means: The customer service rep literally cannot do anything else. Your case is with the Exam or EIC department, and regular reps cannot access those systems or transfer calls there. Its a broken system by design.

Check your transcript for code 570 (refund hold) with a matching 971 (notice issued). If you see those together, they mailed you a letter explaining why they're holding your refund. If you didn't receive the letter, call and request a copy of the specific notice. That's the only way to know what they want from you.

I had success getting my refund unstuck by using the "Where's My Refund" tool and clicking the option to get additional help. This opened a form where I could explain my situation, and someone called me back within a week who actually had access to my case info.

After 3 HOURS on hold with the regular IRS number and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got a callback from an agent in 40 minutes. She was actually in the department that could help and released my refund on the spot. Talking to an agent got my refund released so fast - wish I'd known about this months ago instead of wasting hours on their awful phone system.

lol welcome to the club. the irs has been "processing" my amended return from 2022 for 18 months now. every time i call they say it'll be another 30 days. i've heard that 18 TIMES now

i swear the IRS is one of the most dysfunctional organizations on earth. we entrust them with billions of dollars and they can't even answer a phone or process returns in a reasonable time. imagine if a private company operated this way

Reason #47293 why I'm now making sure I owe a tiny amount each year instead of getting a refund. I'd rather pay them $50 than let them hold my $2000 hostage for a year with no recourse.