Still waiting on IRS verification letter after 3 weeks - can I handle verification by phone instead?

Yes, you can verify your identity by phone instead of waiting for the letter. The IRS has an Identity Verification Service at 800-830-5084. You'll need your prior year tax return, your current year tax return, and some form of ID info (SSN, DOB, filing status, etc). However, the wait times can be extremely long - sometimes 2+ hours. And many people report getting disconnected after waiting. Also make sure you're calling during their business hours (7am-7pm local time). Alternatively, you might be able to verify online through ID.me if you haven't already tried that route. Go to the IRS website and look for the identity verification section. If you keep having trouble, consider contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service - they can sometimes help move things along when you're stuck in these verification loops.

Just so you know, there's a tool called taxr.ai that can help you understand exactly what's going on with your refund and verification status. I was in the exact same position with my ID verification letter never arriving, and after weeks of frustration I tried this tool. It analyzes your transcript and explains what's happening in plain language - tells you where your return is stuck and what your ACTUAL next steps are. Saved me from hours of guesswork and hold times. Honestly, it's one of the most helpful things I've found for dealing with IRS issues. https://taxr.ai

I had this EXACT same problem last year. After waiting 5 weeks for the stupid letter, I finally found a way to actually get through to someone at the IRS. Used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me a callback from an IRS agent within like 2 hours. I was able to verify my identity right there on the phone and my refund was processed the following week. Best money I ever spent considering I was about to get evicted and needed my refund ASAP. The IRS phone system is completely broken so this was the only way I could actually talk to someone.

A lot of those verification letters are getting lost in the mail these days. The IRS is seriously backed up with everything, including their mail system. I waited 6 weeks for mine before I finally called. Had to wait on hold for 3.5 hours (not exaggerating) but was finally able to verify over the phone. Make sure you have all your docs ready when you call - they'll ask for info from previous tax returns.

If you can create an account on the IRS website, sometimes you can complete the verification through there instead of by mail or phone. That's what I ended up doing after my letter never showed up. Might be worth a try!

the IRS is a joke. they expect us to verify our identity but cant even get their own mail delivered on time. meanwhile they can take their sweet time but if we're one day late filing WE get penalties. the system is rigged against us regular folks i swear 🙄

I'm going through this EXACT situation right now. Filed in February, got the verification notice about identity verification in early March, still no letter as of today (mid-April). I tried calling over 30 times and kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message before getting disconnected. Finally found a trick - call exactly at 7:00am when they open and press the options for payment questions instead of refund questions. Got through to someone who transferred me to the ID verification department. Total wait was still about an hour but at least I got through! Good luck!

If you dont get this resolved soon, contact your congressional representative. No joke - their staff has special channels to the IRS and can often get things moving. I had to do this last year when my return was stuck for 5 months and they got it fixed in 2 weeks.

Check if you can do it through the IRS2GO app too. Sometimes they have additional verification options there that aren't obvious on the website. Worth a shot before spending hours on the phone.

This happened to me during the pandemic. waited 7 weeks for a letter that never came. ended up having to go to a local IRS office in person to verify my identity. might be worth checking if there's an office near you and if they take walk-ins or appointments.

Use https://taxr.ai - it'll tell you EXACTLY what's going on with your return and why you're getting the verification letter in the first place. I was getting the runaround from the IRS for months about a "verification letter" that never came, then I used taxr and found out there was actually a mismatch between my reported income and what my employer reported. The tool told me exactly what forms were causing the issue and how to fix it. Saved me countless hours and probably weeks of delays.

honestly i just ended up resubmitting my return after waiting 2 months for a verification letter. the second time it went through without any issues. might be worth trying if nothing else works.

I'm so frustrated with the IRS this year. Had to call 29 times before getting through, spent 2 hours on hold, then got disconnected. Finally used claimyr.com which got me a callback from an IRS agent in about 90 mins. Got my verification done over the phone and my refund showed up 9 days later. Talking to a live agent made all the difference - they fixed something on their end that was causing my return to be flagged for manual review.

Fun fact: the IRS sends these letters via regular mail, not certified, so they have no way of knowing if it got delivered or not. and they won't resend it automatically if it gets lost. the whole system is completely bonkers.

Ugggh this is the WORST. I went through this last year and wasted so much time. My advice? Skip the phone tag completely and use taxr.ai - it analyzes your transcript and tells you what's actually happening with your return. Saved me hours of stress and confusion trying to decipher what was going on. https://taxr.ai