Someone's making quarterly tax payments to my IRS account - not me or anyone I know

This is definitely an unusual situation! The IRS has likely mixed up your account with someone else who has a similar name or tax ID number. This happens more often than people realize. First, you're doing the right thing by filing your taxes accurately based on your actual situation. Continue doing that. However, I wouldn't just cash the refund checks and hope for the best - that could potentially create problems later. I'd recommend sending a written inquiry to the IRS specifically about this issue. Use certified mail with return receipt requested and include copies of the notices they've sent you. Request a formal investigation into the source of these payments and ask for written confirmation that your tax account is being properly maintained. Also, pull your credit reports from all three bureaus to make sure nothing unusual is happening with your identity. While this seems like an IRS error rather than identity theft, it's better to be safe.

I was stuck in a similar situation last year with mysterious tax payments and refunds I didn't understand. After getting nowhere with the IRS phone support, I tried using https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript history. It actually spotted the pattern that was causing my issue - in my case it was a former employer still making withholding payments under my SSN even though I no longer worked there. The service analyzed all my IRS documents and notices, then gave me a step-by-step explanation of what was happening and exactly what to do. They even created custom letters I could send to resolve it. Much better than the generic advice I got from calling the IRS repeatedly.

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try out taxr.ai after posting my question here. Seriously impressed! They identified that my situation was actually a case of "split assessments" where my tax payments were being divided between two different accounts under my SSN due to a transcription error from years ago. They showed me exactly where the error was happening and created a custom letter to send to the IRS Accounts Management department. Got confirmation last week that they're fixing the issue and consolidating my accounts. Would've never figured this out on my own through regular IRS channels. Definitely worth it if you're dealing with weird payment or refund issues!

Based on my experience as someone who had to deal with the IRS for months about a similar issue, you need to speak with someone who can actually see what's happening across systems. The frontline phone agents are extremely limited in what they can access. I tried for weeks to resolve my issue through regular IRS customer service before discovering https://claimyr.com which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got to speak with a higher-level agent, they explained that my account had a "cross-reference" error where payments from a business with a similar EIN were being incorrectly applied to my personal account. Getting to the right person made all the difference.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment here, I decided to try it myself because I've been getting nowhere with the IRS about my amended return. I got connected to an IRS agent in 17 minutes (I timed it) compared to the 2+ hours I spent on hold last week before giving up. The agent was able to see that my amended return was stuck in a processing queue and actually fixed it while I was on the phone. For anyone dealing with weird IRS account issues like the original poster, being able to actually talk to someone who can look at your complete account history makes all the difference. Just wanted to update since my initial reaction was so doubtful.

Another possibility - could this be related to an ex-spouse or business partner? I had a similar situation where my ex-husband's accountant kept making estimated tax payments under my SSN for a business I was no longer part of after our divorce. Took years to untangle because nobody at the IRS could figure out where the payments were coming from. Make sure you check with any past business associates or family members who might have your SSN on file for some legitimate reason. Sometimes these mysteries have simple explanations.

dont cash those refund checks!!! my cousin did something similar and got hit with penalties later when they fixed the system error. the irs will eventually figure it out and want all that money back with interest. just keep all the letters they send you and maybe talk to a CPA not just the regular irs people on the phone. sometimes the irs computer systems dont talk to each other and the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing.