Should I amend my tax returns from 2022? Worth the hassle for a bigger refund?

Yes, you absolutely can still amend your 2022 return, and it might be worth doing. You generally have 3 years from the original filing deadline to submit an amended return using Form 1040-X. For 2022 returns, that gives you until April 2026. Those deductions you mentioned could make a significant difference. Charitable donations of $4,800 plus $2,300 in legitimate work expenses (assuming they meet the criteria) could potentially reduce your taxable income by $7,100. Depending on your tax bracket, that could mean a refund of $1,000-$1,700. The 1040-X process isn't terribly complicated, especially if you use the same tax software you used for the original return. Most tax programs can handle amendments and will walk you through the process. You'll need to include any supporting documentation for the new deductions (donation receipts, home office documentation, etc.).

I was in a similar situation last year with missing some business expenses on my 2021 return. After stressing about filing an amendment, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it honestly made the whole process so much easier than I expected. The tool analyzed my return and actually found a few more deductions I missed besides the ones I knew about. It generated all the documentation I needed and walked me through exactly what forms to file. The whole amendment process took me about an hour instead of the full weekend I was dreading.

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after I posted my skeptical comment. I decided to give it a try with my 2022 return where I knew I'd forgotten to include some investment losses. I'm honestly surprised by how helpful it was. Not only did it confirm the investment losses I knew about, but it also identified that I qualified for a partial home office deduction I had no idea I was eligible for. The amendment process was WAY less painful than I expected - it told me exactly what to fill out on the 1040-X and generated the supporting documents I needed. Just got my additional refund last week - $2,140 more than my original return. Definitely worth the time invested!

If you're planning to amend and want to check on your refund status afterwards, good luck getting through to the IRS. I spent WEEKS trying to get a human on the phone about my amended return. Finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed my amended return was being processed and gave me an actual timeline instead of the vague status on the Where's My Amended Return tool. Saved me so much frustration compared to the hours I spent on hold before.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still struggling to reach the IRS about an issue with my amended return that had been "processing" for 7 months with no updates. I finally broke down and tried it last week, figuring I had nothing to lose. The system called me back in about 45 minutes (on a Monday morning) with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my amended return and gave me a timeline for resolution. Saved me from taking another day off work to sit on hold. Would have saved me so much frustration if I'd used it months ago instead of being stubborn.

One thing to consider before amending - make sure your additional deductions will actually make a difference. If you already took the standard deduction in 2022 ($12,950 for single, $25,900 MFJ), then your itemized deductions including those charitable donations need to exceed that amount to be worth claiming. If you're already itemizing though, then absolutely go for it! I amended my 2020 return for about $3,000 in forgotten medical expenses and got back around $700.

Anyone else worried about amendments increasing audit risk? I've always heard changing your return is like waving a red flag to the IRS.

Based on the amounts you mentioned ($4,800 in charitable donations + $2,300 in work expenses), you're definitely looking at a worthwhile refund if you were already itemizing in 2022. That's over $7,000 in additional deductions you left on the table. I'd recommend gathering all your documentation first - donation receipts, bank statements showing the charitable contributions, and any records of your work-from-home expenses. For home office deductions, you'll need to be able to demonstrate the space was used regularly and exclusively for work. The 1040-X isn't too intimidating once you get started. Since you used TurboTax originally, you might want to use their amendment feature to keep everything consistent. Just be prepared for the wait time - amended returns are definitely taking longer to process than regular returns right now, but the interest they pay on delayed refunds helps offset some of that inconvenience. Given the potential refund amount, I'd say it's absolutely worth your time to file the amendment!