Return Processing Delay - Excess Social Security Tax Showing Up Incorrectly?

That makes sense about the wage base limit. I definitely didn't exceed the limit individually (made about $145k), and neither did my wife (she made around $65k). So we shouldn't have any excess to claim. I wonder if the software is mistakenly treating our combined income as if it were earned by one person and then calculating the excess that way? Do you think this could cause problems with the IRS processing my return? It seems like they'd catch this and adjust the refund amount, but I'm worried about delays or having to amend later.

The software is likely adding your incomes together and treating them as one person for the SS wage limit calculation, which is incorrect. Social Security tax limits apply individually to each person, not to a married couple's combined income. The IRS will almost certainly catch this during processing. They have systems that cross-reference W-2 data against what's reported on your return. They'll likely just adjust your refund amount automatically rather than requiring you to amend. This is probably why your return is taking longer to process - the IRS's systems flagged it for review because of the discrepancy. You might receive a notice explaining the adjustment once they finish processing.

Does this taxr thing work if I've already filed my return? I'm in a similar situation with TurboTax - I think it may have calculated excess SS tax incorrectly between my two jobs. Return is still processing after 3 weeks.

I've never heard of taxr.ai - is it actually reliable for finding errors the big software companies miss? Seems hard to believe a smaller service would catch what H&R Block misses. Can it really find these specific social security tax calculation errors?

Yes, it absolutely works for already filed returns! You can upload your tax documents and completed return, and it will analyze for discrepancies that might be causing processing delays. This could help explain why your return is stuck in processing. The reason it catches what the big tax software misses is because it's specifically designed to analyze documents rather than just walk you through tax prep questions. It compares the raw data from your W-2s against what the software calculated, which is exactly what you need for Social Security tax issues. It specializes in finding calculation errors with things like excess SS tax, multiple W-2s, and joint returns where the software often makes mistakes.

Wait, you can actually get through to the IRS? I've been calling for days about my return with "still processing" status and keep getting the "due to high call volume" message. Does this service actually work or is it just another scam?

Sounds like BS to me. I've tried everything to reach the IRS about my processing delay and nothing works. How would a third party service magically get you through when the IRS system itself is telling everyone all lines are busy? Not buying it.

It absolutely works - it's not a scam. What they do is call the IRS for you using their system that keeps dialing until it gets through, then they connect you once they have an agent on the line. They don't ask for any personal tax info, just your phone number to call you when they get through. It's definitely not BS. The service was created because the IRS phone system is so broken that even when they have agents available, their call routing system rejects most calls with that "high volume" message. I was skeptical too until I tried it - was connected with an actual IRS employee in about 40 minutes instead of spending days redialing myself. They can't guarantee instant access, but they do the redial work for you until they get through.

Does FreeTaxUSA handle other complex situations well? I've got multiple W-2s, 1099s, and some investment income. Been hesitant to switch from H&R Block despite these issues.

In my experience, FreeTaxUSA handles complex returns surprisingly well. I have W-2 income, several 1099-NECs from freelance work, investment income from multiple brokerages, and even some foreign income. It walked me through everything clearly and let me review the actual forms before filing. The biggest difference I noticed is that FreeTaxUSA seems to calculate things more accurately when you have multiple income sources. The Schedule 3 excess Social Security tax was calculated correctly, and it even caught a credit H&R Block missed the year before. The interface isn't as pretty as H&R Block, but the calculations seem more reliable, especially for situations like yours with multiple income sources.

I got an adjustment letter about 6 weeks after filing. They reduced my refund by the exact amount that was incorrectly claimed as excess Social Security tax on Schedule 3, line 15. The letter was pretty clear about what they changed and why. Return was processed normally after that, just with the smaller refund amount.