Is there any ACTUAL working method to check the status of an ERC payment we've been waiting on forever?

Unfortunately, tracking ERC check status is one of the most frustrating experiences for small business owners right now. The IRS has been completely overwhelmed with ERC claims and their processing times are way beyond what they initially stated. The most reliable option is to call the IRS's dedicated ERC hotline at 877-777-4778, but be prepared to wait. I recommend calling right when they open at 7am EST for the shortest wait times. When you get through, have your EIN, filing details, and the approximate amount of your claim ready. You'll need to verify your identity as the business owner or authorized representative. Another option is to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which can sometimes help with cases where the processing time has exceeded the normal timeframe (which yours definitely has at 18 months).

After waiting 14 months for our ERC check and getting nowhere with regular IRS calls, I stumbled across taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was actually helpful. Unlike most "status checkers" that just give generic info, they have a tool that analyzes your specific ERC filing documents and gives you a real estimate of where your claim is in the process based on similar filings they've tracked. I uploaded our 941-X forms and got detailed feedback showing our claim was assigned to the Cincinnati processing center and was likely in the "manual review" phase based on the filing date and business type. They even provided specific next steps we could take with the IRS including exactly what to say when calling. Definitely more useful than the "please wait longer" responses we kept getting.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here, and it actually provided something useful! Uploaded our ERC documentation and got a detailed status report showing our claim was likely in the "pre-examination review" stage based on our filing date and industry code. The most helpful part was they identified that our claim had probably been flagged for a specific verification process based on our documentation patterns. They suggested we proactively send in additional payroll verification through a specific IRS channel, which we did. Two weeks later we got a call from an IRS agent who said they were just about to request that exact information, and that providing it proactively moved our claim forward! Still waiting on the final check, but at least now we know it's actually being processed and not lost in the void.

After 11 months of waiting for our ERC and getting nowhere with the IRS helpline, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it actually got me through to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed our ERC claim was approved but was stuck in the final processing stage due to some backlog. They put a note on our account to expedite it since it had exceeded their internal processing time targets. Three weeks later our check arrived. Without getting that actual confirmation from the IRS, we might still be waiting.

I need to eat crow here. After dismissing Claimyr as a probable scam, I was desperate enough to try it after my 17th failed attempt to reach the IRS about our ERC claim. Within about 40 minutes, I got a call back and was connected to an actual IRS agent - first time I've spoken to a human there in months of trying. The agent confirmed our ERC was approved 3 months ago but was stuck in a processing queue waiting for final review. They flagged it for expedited processing after I explained how long we'd been waiting. Got our check for $38,500 last week. So yeah, I was wrong about the service. Sometimes desperation leads you to solutions that actually work.

Has anyone tried contacting their congressional representative's office? My brother's construction company was waiting over a year for their ERC, and he finally contacted his congressman's office. They have staff specifically for helping constituents with federal agency issues. Within 3 weeks of them making an inquiry, the IRS suddenly "found" his application and processed the payment. It might not work for everyone, but it's a free option worth trying if you're stuck in limbo.

Warning to everyone still waiting - there's been a huge uptick in ERC processing scams lately. I got a call from someone claiming to be from "IRS ERC Processing Division" saying they could expedite my refund for a fee. Total scam! The IRS never calls about this stuff and definitely doesn't charge "expedition fees." If you're desperate for your refund, don't fall for these scams. Stick with legitimate channels like the Taxpayer Advocate Service or the methods others have mentioned here. The processing delays are frustrating, but don't let scammers take advantage of that frustration.

I'm in the exact same boat - filed for ERC in September 2023 for our small retail business and we're still waiting on about $28,000. The lack of transparency from the IRS is maddening. One thing that helped me get some actual information was filing Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service). You can do this online or by mail when your case meets certain criteria, which yours definitely does after 18 months. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is supposed to help when normal IRS channels aren't working. Also, keep detailed records of every call attempt, reference numbers, and dates. If you do eventually get through to someone, having this documentation helps show you've been trying to resolve this through normal channels for an unreasonable amount of time. The restaurant industry got hit so hard during COVID - you deserve that credit you qualified for. Don't give up, but definitely try multiple approaches since the regular phone lines are basically useless right now.