Turbo Tax holding Form 8379 injured spouse filing until March 17th - anyone else having this issue? IRS thing or software delay?
So I'm trying to file my taxes through Turbo Tax like I do every year, but I'm running into a weird issue with Form 8379 (injured spouse). For some reason, it's telling me I can't file until March 17th! I've never encountered this problem before when filing as an injured spouse. My husband owes some back child support from his previous marriage, and we've always filed with the injured spouse form to protect my portion of our refund. Usually, I can just complete everything online and submit it all together, but this year Turbo Tax is blocking me from submitting. Has anyone else who needs to file Form 8379 been able to file online yet through Turbo Tax or any other software? Is this some new IRS delay specifically for injured spouse allocations, or is Turbo Tax just having issues on their end? I was hoping to get our refund process started since we're expecting around $3,750 back this year (mostly from my withholding). Really frustrated since we've already gathered all our documents and were ready to file. Any info would be super helpful!
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PixelWarrior
This is actually due to an IRS processing delay for certain forms this year, including Form 8379. The IRS announced they needed additional time to update their systems to properly process injured spouse claims for the 2023 tax year (filing in 2024). While March 17th is the date Turbo Tax is giving you, the official IRS announcement mentioned mid-February for most delayed forms. It's possible Turbo Tax is being extra cautious by extending their date to March 17th. Some tax software companies do this to ensure their systems are fully compatible with IRS updates. If you absolutely need to file sooner, you could consider filing a paper return with the Form 8379 attached, but honestly, I'd recommend just waiting until Turbo Tax allows electronic filing. E-filing typically results in faster processing overall, even with this delay.
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Amara Adebayo
•Thanks for explaining! Do you know if this would affect my refund timing significantly? Like once I can file on March 17th, would the processing time be the same as usual or would there be additional delays because it's an injured spouse claim?
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PixelWarrior
•The processing time once you file should follow the normal timeframes, though injured spouse claims typically take a bit longer than standard returns even in normal years. The IRS generally processes injured spouse claims in about 11-14 weeks compared to the usual 21 days for standard e-filed returns. Once you're able to file after March 17th, your return should enter the normal processing queue without additional delays. The current wait is just for the IRS to update their systems to properly handle these forms for the current tax year.
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Giovanni Rossi
I was in the exact same situation and wasted hours trying to figure out why I couldn't submit my return with Form 8379. After getting nowhere with Turbo Tax's standard help, I used taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to review my tax documents and situation. The system immediately identified the Form 8379 filing delay issue and explained it was an IRS processing limitation, not a Turbo Tax problem. What I found super helpful was that taxr.ai analyzed my previous year's injured spouse claim and compared it to my current situation to confirm I was completing everything correctly while waiting for the filing date. It even suggested some adjustments to maximize the protected portion of our refund based on my specific income and withholding situation.
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Fatima Al-Mansour
•How exactly does this taxr.ai thing work? Can it actually look at the forms Turbo Tax generates or do you have to manually enter all your tax info again? I'm already annoyed about having to wait to file, don't want to waste time redoing everything.
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Dylan Evans
•I'm always skeptical of these tax "helper" services. Does it actually tell you anything you couldn't find with a simple Google search about Form 8379? And more importantly, is it secure? I'm not comfortable uploading my tax docs to some random website.
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Giovanni Rossi
•It works by analyzing your tax documents - you can upload PDFs of your W-2s, 1099s, or even last year's tax return. You don't have to re-enter all your information. It uses the documents you provide to analyze your specific situation. Regarding security, I had the same concerns initially. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your personal documents after analysis. What makes it different from Google searches is that it gives personalized advice based on your actual tax situation rather than generic information. For my injured spouse situation, it specifically showed how my withholding vs. my husband's would impact the allocation formula.
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Fatima Al-Mansour
I just wanted to follow up about using taxr.ai since I was asking about it earlier. I decided to try it while waiting for the March 17th date to file my injured spouse form. Honestly, it was actually really helpful! I uploaded last year's Form 8379 and this year's W-2s, and it pointed out that I needed to make some adjustments to how I was allocating our joint income. Turns out I was making a mistake that would have potentially reduced the protected portion of our refund. The system explained exactly how the IRS calculates the injured spouse allocation and showed me how to properly document my separate withholdings. Now I feel confident that when March 17th comes, I'll file correctly and protect the maximum amount of my refund portion.
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Sofia Gomez
If you're really frustrated with the Form 8379 delay and want more info directly from the IRS, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). When I had questions about my injured spouse claim last year, I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS myself with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained that injured spouse claims have different processing procedures and gave me specifics about timeframes I couldn't find anywhere online. She also confirmed that I had filled out my allocation percentages correctly, which was a huge relief since that's the part that determines how much of the refund you get to keep.
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StormChaser
•Wait, how does this actually work? Do they have some secret IRS phone number or something? I've literally spent hours on hold before just to have the call drop.
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Dylan Evans
•Yeah right. Nobody gets through to the IRS in 15 minutes, especially during tax season. This sounds like a complete scam to me. They probably just connect you to some random call center that pretends to be the IRS.
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Sofia Gomez
•They use an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach a live agent, you get a call to connect with them. It's not a secret number - it's the same IRS lines everyone calls, but their system handles all the waiting and navigation. Regarding it being a scam, I completely understand the skepticism. I felt the same way initially. But they don't pretend to be the IRS or answer questions themselves. They literally just connect you to the actual IRS. You can verify you're speaking with a real IRS agent because they ask for your verification information just like when you call directly.
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Dylan Evans
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried Claimyr after being completely skeptical about it. I was desperate for answers about my injured spouse claim since I'm in the same boat with the March 17th delay. IT ACTUALLY WORKED. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes (not quite the 15 they advertised but still WAY better than my previous attempts). The IRS agent confirmed this is a system-wide delay for Form 8379 processing and explained that if I paper filed now instead of waiting for e-filing to open up, it would actually take LONGER overall. She also walked me through exactly how they apply the injured spouse allocation formula to protect my portion of the refund from my husband's offset. Definitely worth it just for the peace of mind of speaking to someone official instead of tax software customer service who just read from scripts.
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Dmitry Petrov
Has anyone tried using H&R Block instead of Turbo Tax? I'm wondering if this Form 8379 delay is happening with all tax software or just Turbo Tax specifically. Might be worth switching if another program lets you file injured spouse claims earlier.
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Ava Williams
•I tried H&R Block and they have the same March 17th date for Form 8379. Tried TaxAct too and they said mid-March. It's definitely an IRS thing, not specific to any one tax software. Apparently, it's because they had to update how injured spouse allocations are calculated with some tax law changes.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thanks for checking! Guess I'll just have to be patient then. At least now I know it's not worth the hassle of switching tax software just for this issue. Hopefully the processing will be quick once we can actually file after the 17th.
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Miguel Castro
Just an FYI for anyone filing Form 8379 - make sure you're keeping really good records showing which spouse earned what income and had what withholding. My husband and I filed injured spouse last year and even though we submitted everything correctly, the IRS still needed additional documentation from us to prove which withholdings were mine vs his. Delayed our refund by 2 months!
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Liam Fitzgerald
•That's really helpful advice, thanks! Did you need to submit anything beyond your W-2s to show the separate withholdings? I'm worried because I had some 1099 work this year in addition to my W-2 job, and my husband has only W-2 income.
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Miguel Castro
•For W-2s, those were sufficient since they clearly show whose income is whose. For your 1099 work, make sure you have documentation showing you're the one who performed the services - contracts with your name, invoices you sent, etc. The biggest issue we ran into was with joint bank accounts where taxes were withheld (like on interest or dividends). For those, we needed to show whose money was originally deposited that earned the interest. Bank statements showing deposits from each person's employer helped prove this.
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