My 2024 tax refund is now delayed by 9+ months. Any way to speed things up with the IRS?

This is unfortunately becoming more common with the IRS backlog issues. There are a few things you can try: First, double-check the "Where's My Refund" tool with your exact refund amount, filing status, and correct SSN. Sometimes small typos can cause tracking issues. You should try contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) - they're an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers resolve problems. They can often help when your refund has been delayed beyond the normal processing time (which is typically 21 days for e-filed returns). You qualify for their help if it's been more than 30 days since you filed. Another option is to request a tax transcript from the IRS website. This might give you more information about what's happening with your return than the refund tracker does. If you see codes like 570 or 971, those indicate there's some kind of hold or review on your return. Also, check if you received any physical mail from the IRS. Sometimes they send letters requesting additional information but people miss them or throw them away thinking it's junk mail.

After spending literal months trying to figure out why my refund was stuck in limbo, I finally found something that worked. I used this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that analyzed my tax documents and found a discrepancy between what my employer reported and what I entered. Turns out there was a mismatch of literally $12 that was causing the whole thing to be flagged for review! The thing that was super helpful is that they showed me exactly what the IRS was seeing versus what I submitted. Once I knew the specific issue, I was able to file an amended return and finally got my refund 3 weeks later. Might be worth checking out to see if there's something minor holding yours up too.

Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after my initial skepticism, and I'm honestly impressed. Turns out we had a discrepancy with our healthcare premium tax credit that I had no idea about. The service identified exactly where the numbers didn't match up with what the IRS had on file. I called the IRS with this specific information (finally got through!) and they confirmed that was exactly why our refund was on hold. Being able to talk specifically about the issue rather than just asking "where's my refund" made all the difference. Our refund was processed within 2 weeks after that. Definitely worth checking out if you're still stuck.

If you've been trying to call the IRS without success, you should try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same situation - couldn't get through after literally dozens of attempts over weeks. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically, they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they've got an actual IRS agent on the line. I was super frustrated with waiting for my refund and this let me actually talk to someone who could check my specific file. Turned out they needed verification of something and had sent a letter that I never received. Once I knew what was happening, I could actually take steps to resolve it.

I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it because I was desperate (waiting on nearly $6k refund for 7 months). The service called me back about 2 hours after I signed up and suddenly I was talking to a real IRS agent! Found out my return was flagged for identity verification because I moved states last year. The agent transferred me to the right department and I was able to verify my identity on that same call. My refund was deposited 12 days later. Would have saved myself months of stress if I'd done this sooner. Sometimes it's worth trying these services even if they sound too good to be true.

Has anyone tried contacting their congressional representative? My brother-in-law had a similar situation last year and his senator's office has staff dedicated to helping constituents with federal agency issues. They made one call and his refund was processed within 3 weeks.

Check your tax transcript for code 570! If you see that, it means there's a hold on your account. Mine was delayed for similar reasons and that's what was happening. You might also see code 971 which means they sent a notice (that you may not have received).

I went through something very similar last year - 8 month delay on what should have been a straightforward refund. The combination of approaches mentioned here is your best bet. Start with requesting your tax transcript online immediately. This will show you if there are any specific codes indicating why it's being held. If you see codes like 570, 971, or 424, at least you'll know there's an active review happening rather than your return just sitting in a pile somewhere. Then I'd recommend a two-pronged approach: contact both the Taxpayer Advocate Service AND your congressional representative's office. The TAS is great for systemic issues and they have more time to work on your case, while congressional offices have those direct IRS lines that can get faster answers. If those don't work within 2-3 weeks, the Claimyr service really does work for actually getting through to the IRS phone system. I was skeptical too but after months of busy signals, being able to talk to an actual agent made all the difference. Don't wait any longer - 9 months is well beyond any reasonable processing time and you have multiple legitimate avenues to escalate this. The key is being persistent and using multiple approaches simultaneously rather than trying one thing at a time.