Need to amend tax return after EV rebate went to dealer instead of refund (CA)

This is a common situation with the Clean Vehicle Credit under IRC Section 30D. When you file Form 1040-X to amend your return, you'll need to complete the following: 1. Check box A for "changes to income, deductions, and credits" 2. Adjust line 12 (Tax Credits) to remove the EV credit 3. Include a revised Form 8936 showing $0 credit 4. Attach a statement explaining the dealer took the credit at point-of-sale Per IRS guidance, amended returns are indeed taking 16-20 weeks (approximately 4-5 months) to process. I recommend filing electronically if possible, as paper amendments can take even longer. The timeline your tax preparer mentioned is unfortunately accurate based on current IRS processing backlogs.

I went through this exact nightmare last year with my Tesla. Filed in April, had to amend in May when I realized the dealer had already taken the credit. I was totally stressed about the timeline too. I finally tried https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript after getting nowhere with the IRS website. It helped me understand exactly which codes to look for to track my amendment status and gave me a much clearer timeline prediction than the IRS site. Saved me a ton of stress during the waiting period since I could actually understand what was happening with my amendment.

I just went through this exact situation! Had to amend because my Chevy dealer took the credit but didn't clearly communicate it. Here's what happened: amendment took exactly 4.5 months to process. Filed electronically in November 2023, got my refund mid-March 2024. The key is making sure your amendment is crystal clear. I included a copy of my purchase agreement highlighting where the credit was applied and a letter explaining the situation. Makes the review process faster when they don't have to guess what happened.

I'm going through this right now. Filed my amendment in January. Still waiting. Called IRS three times. No real updates. Just "keep waiting." Used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually reach an agent. Got through in 25 minutes instead of hours on hold. Agent confirmed my amendment was in the system but still in the processing queue. At least I know it wasn't lost.

The whole EV credit system is a bureaucratic mess. I had this exact issue with my Polestar purchase. Dealership applied the credit but never gave me proper documentation. Then I claimed it on my taxes. Then I had to amend. Then the IRS sent me a CP2000 notice ANYWAY even after I amended! It's like the different IRS departments don't talk to each other. My amendment took 5 months and 12 days to process. Filed electronically in October 2023, finally processed late March 2024. Make sure you keep checking your transcript for TC971/977 codes which indicate amendment processing.

Has anyone tried calling the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service for this issue? Would this qualify as a hardship case if you need the refund for medical expenses? I've heard they can sometimes expedite amendments in certain situations, but I'm not sure if this would qualify?

I actually contacted the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) for a similar EV credit amendment situation last year. They can potentially help if you meet their criteria for "significant hardship" - which includes situations where you're facing immediate threats to your health or safety, or if IRS actions/inactions are causing economic harm. For medical expenses, you'd need to demonstrate that the delayed refund is preventing you from getting necessary medical care. TAS generally requires that you've already tried normal IRS channels first and waited the expected processing time (which is currently 16-20 weeks for amendments). You can submit Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance) or call 1-877-777-4778. Even if they can't expedite your specific case, they might be able to provide better status updates than the standard "Where's My Amended Return" tool. Worth a shot if you're dealing with genuine medical hardship!