Someone is making quarterly tax payments on my account without my knowledge - what should I do?

This is definitely an unusual situation! The IRS typically doesn't make "system errors" that result in payments being credited to the wrong account repeatedly over multiple years. These payments are likely intentional and coming from somewhere specific. A few possibilities: 1) Someone with a similar name or SSN is making payments but entering your information by mistake, 2) You have a relative or someone else intentionally making payments on your behalf without telling you, or 3) An old employer or business partner might be making payments related to joint activities. I'd recommend requesting a "Record of Account Transcript" from the IRS. This might show more details about the source of these payments than what customer service reps can see on their screens. You can request this online through the IRS website. Also, be careful about keeping refunds that might not actually belong to you. The IRS can go back and correct errors, potentially demanding repayment with interest and penalties if they determine these funds weren't rightfully yours.

I had a similar situation last year and finally figured it out using taxr.ai which helps analyze tax documents and payment histories. I uploaded my transcripts and notices to https://taxr.ai and their system identified patterns I couldn't see myself. Turns out in my case, an old employer was making estimated payments against my SSN because they had incorrectly kept me on their books after I left. Their system compared my payment history with my actual filings and spotted exactly where the discrepancy was happening. It saved me hours of frustrating phone calls with the IRS and gave me clear documentation to resolve everything.

Just wanted to update - I was skeptical but decided to try taxr.ai after continuing to get nowhere with the IRS directly. The analysis showed the quarterly payments were following a specific pattern that matched the estimated tax schedule of a small business. I had done some contract work for my uncle's company years ago, and it turns out his accountant had accidentally kept me on their payment schedule all this time! I never would have made this connection without seeing the pattern analysis. My uncle had no idea either since he just approves what his accountant prepares. Now I'm working with both the IRS and my uncle to get everything straightened out. Definitely worth the time I spent uploading my documents.

If you've already tried contacting the IRS multiple times without getting anywhere, you might want to try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation with mysterious tax issues that regular IRS phone reps couldn't help with. Used https://claimyr.com and got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The key is that when you actually get through to a live person at the IRS, you can request to speak with someone in their research department who has access to more detailed payment information than the frontline reps. They can often see details about the payment origin that regular representatives can't access.

Well, I feel stupid for doubting. After seeing the last post I decided to give Claimyr a shot. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes (would have taken me hours of redials). Explained my situation and asked specifically for the research department. The agent was able to trace the payments to a small accounting firm in a different state. Turns out there's someone with a similar name but one digit different in their SSN. Their accountant has been fat-fingering the SSN for YEARS and no one caught it. The IRS is now working to transfer those payments to the correct account. If I hadn't gotten through to the right department, this would have continued for who knows how long. Definitely worth saving the hours of frustration trying to get through on my own.

This might be a stupid question, but have you checked with your parents? I discovered my dad had been making estimated tax payments on my behalf for several years after I got my first "real" job. He thought he was helping me out but never actually told me he was doing it! He just assumed I knew. Might be worth asking family members, especially if anyone helped you with taxes in the past.

Just a word of caution - DO NOT just keep cashing the refund checks without resolving this. The IRS operates under a "pay now, fight later" system. They might be sending you refunds now, but if they determine later that those payments were legitimately meant for your tax account, they can come back and assess underpayment penalties and interest for the taxes you should have paid. I knew someone who had a similar situation (though it was just for one year, not ongoing). They spent the refund, and two years later the IRS figured out the error and wanted not just the original amount back, but also nearly 25% more in penalties and interest.

This is such a bizarre situation! Reading through all the responses, it sounds like several people have had success getting to the bottom of similar mysteries. The fact that these payments have been so consistent for 5 years really does suggest it's not just a random error. I'd recommend trying multiple approaches simultaneously: 1) Use one of the callback services mentioned to get through to the IRS research department, 2) Have direct conversations with anyone who might have your SSN (family, former employers, accountants you've used), and 3) Consider requesting a meeting with the Taxpayer Advocate Service if the regular channels don't work. The specific dollar amounts you mentioned ($1,876.42 type numbers) really do sound like they're calculated based on something - maybe estimated taxes for a business entity, investment income, or contract work that's being reported under your SSN. Whatever you do, don't just ignore this or assume it will work out in your favor. As others have pointed out, the IRS can come back years later demanding repayment with penalties and interest if they determine these were legitimate tax obligations. Better to spend some time now getting it resolved than potentially facing a much bigger headache down the road.