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Keisha Jackson

What can I do about Tax overpayment after duplicate payment to IRS?

I royally messed up with my taxes this year. I discovered an error in my original filing, so I submitted a 1040X amended return through FreeTaxUSA. The software calculated that I owed an additional $875 for the amendment, but indicated I needed to send the payment separately to the IRS myself. I called FreeTaxUSA customer service to confirm, and they told me the software wouldn't automatically withdraw the amount - I needed to handle payment directly with the IRS. So I went online and paid the $875 through the IRS Direct Pay system. But then I checked my bank account yesterday and discovered FreeTaxUSA had ALSO withdrawn $875 for the same amendment! Now I've effectively paid this tax bill twice. I did some searching online and found that the IRS might send a CP24E form for overpayments, but I filed the amendment on 3/12 and haven't received anything about the duplicate payment. Has anyone dealt with this situation before? Is there anything I can do to speed up getting a refund for the overpayment? I really need that money back sooner rather than later. I managed to get through to an IRS agent today after an hour on hold. She looked at my account and confirmed it's been flagged for duplicate payment. According to her, it should take approximately 2 weeks for the IRS to process and issue a refund for the overpaid amount. Really hoping this timeline is accurate!

Paolo Moretti

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This happens more often than you'd think! When you make duplicate payments to the IRS, the system will eventually detect it and process a refund automatically. The agent you spoke with is right - typically these get resolved within 2-3 weeks once the system identifies the duplicate. If you want to be proactive, you can also submit Form 8082 "Notice of Inconsistent Treatment" to formally document the duplicate payment. This isn't required since the IRS agent already noted it in your account, but it creates a paper trail for your records. The most important thing is that you've already confirmed with the IRS that they've tagged your account. This means it's in their system and should process automatically. Keep an eye on your bank account or the mailbox for the refund - they'll either direct deposit or mail a check depending on your settings with them.

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Amina Diop

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Would calling the IRS payment hotline help in this situation, or is that different from the regular customer service line? I've been on hold with the main line for hours and never get through.

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Paolo Moretti

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The regular customer service line is the correct place to start, but if you're having trouble getting through, the payment hotline (1-800-829-1040) can sometimes help. They can transfer you to the right department if needed. For duplicate payments specifically, the automated system won't help much. You need to speak with a human representative who can access your account details and confirm the overpayment has been properly flagged in their system.

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Oliver Weber

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After my last tax nightmare with duplicate payments, I found an insanely helpful tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much hassle. I was in a similar situation - paid through TurboTax and then again directly to the IRS. What I like about taxr.ai is it analyzes all your tax docs and payment records to identify things like duplicate payments before they become a problem. It's actually pretty interesting - you upload your forms and transcripts, and it shows you a complete picture of what the IRS actually has on file for you. After using it, I realized the IRS hadn't even registered my first payment yet, which explained why I was getting notices. It's been super useful for tracking everything in one place, especially with complicated stuff like amended returns where timing gets tricky.

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Does it actually have real-time access to your IRS account info? How does it know what the IRS has on record? Sounds useful but I'm curious how it works.

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NebulaNinja

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I'm curious too - does it help with tracking when the refund will actually show up? My situation is similar but it's been 4 weeks and still nothing from the IRS despite them acknowledging the overpayment.

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Oliver Weber

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It doesn't have real-time access to your IRS account, but it analyzes your tax transcripts which you can download from the IRS website. The transcripts show exactly what's in the IRS system - all payments, returns, and processing codes. The tool interprets these codes and explains what they mean in plain English. For tracking refund timing, it's definitely helpful. It shows which processing stage your return is in based on the transcript codes, and gives you estimated timeframes for resolution. For me, it predicted my refund would take 13-17 days after the duplicate payment was flagged, and it came on day 15.

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Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here and it was actually really helpful for my duplicate payment issue! I was skeptical at first (I'm always wary of new tax tools), but it helped me understand exactly what was happening with my amended return and overpayment. The transcript analysis showed my account had been flagged with a TC-670 code (payment) twice for the same amount on different dates, followed by a TC-570 (additional account action pending). According to the explanation, this combination typically results in an automatic refund within 2-3 weeks. Sure enough, the refund hit my account 16 days later! It was nice having visibility into what was actually happening rather than just blindly waiting and wondering. Definitely recommend for anyone dealing with amended returns or payment issues.

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Javier Gomez

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If you're still struggling to get through to the IRS after multiple attempts, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with a double payment after filing my 1040X, and spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS without success. Claimyr basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was skeptical at first, but after wasting hours on hold myself, I decided to give it a try. Got connected to an IRS agent within 45 minutes - while I was at work, not wasting my day on hold! The agent confirmed my overpayment was in the system and would be automatically refunded. Having that confirmation gave me peace of mind instead of wondering if my second payment had disappeared into the void.

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Amina Diop

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How exactly does this work? Do they just call the IRS for you? Seems like it would be the same wait time either way.

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Emma Wilson

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Yeah right. Nothing can make the IRS answer faster. Sounds like a scam to me. The IRS phone system is deliberately designed to be impossible.

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Javier Gomez

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They don't call the IRS for you. They use technology to hold your place in line and monitor the hold status. When they detect you're getting close to an agent, their system calls your phone and connects you directly to the IRS call exactly when an agent is about to pick up. The wait time is still the same, but the difference is you're not physically sitting there listening to the hold music for hours. You can go about your day, and your phone rings only when an agent is about to answer. It saved me from wasting 3+ hours actively sitting on hold.

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Emma Wilson

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Well I'm eating my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment I was still desperate to reach the IRS about my own duplicate payment issue (been trying for WEEKS), so I reluctantly tried it. Honestly, I was shocked when it actually worked. Set it up around 9am, went to a meeting, and got a call connecting me to an IRS agent before lunch. After being on permanent hold-music duty for what felt like forever trying the normal way, this was a game changer. The agent confirmed my overpayment and said a refund check was already being processed. Would I have preferred not to need this service at all? Of course - the IRS should be more accessible. But given the reality of how hard it is to reach them, I'm glad I tried it. Saved my sanity and got my issue resolved in a single day instead of more weeks of frustration.

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Malik Thomas

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I had this same thing happen with my 1040X last year. If the IRS agent confirmed your account is flagged for duplicate payment, that's good news! Their system automatically detects this and will issue a refund. In my case, it took exactly 17 days from when the duplicate payment posted to when I received the refund. They sent a check rather than direct deposit, even though my original refund had been direct deposited. Just keep an eye on your mailbox too, not just your bank account.

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Did you ever receive any formal notice or letter from the IRS about the duplicate payment, or did the check just show up? I'm wondering if I should expect any documentation about the overpayment.

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Malik Thomas

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I never received any formal notice before the check arrived. The check just showed up in my mailbox with a very brief statement showing it was for an overpayment refund. About two weeks after I got the check, I did receive a CP24E notice that explained the overpayment had been identified and refunded. It was basically just confirmation of what had already happened, not an advance notice. So don't worry if you don't get documentation right away - the money will likely arrive first!

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Quick tip - make sure to save ALL documentation related to both payments and the amended return. If something goes wrong with the automatic refund, you'll need proof of both payments. I take screenshots of the payment confirmation pages, save the confirmation emails, and keep PDF copies of bank statements showing the withdrawals. I learned this the hard way when I had to prove a duplicate payment from 2022 and the IRS had no record of one of them!

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Ravi Kapoor

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Dealing with the IRS is such a nightmare. I'm still waiting for them to process my amended return from LAST year. Their backlog is insane.

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Keisha Brown

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This exact scenario happened to me with TurboTax last year! The frustrating part is that some tax software companies aren't always clear about when they will or won't automatically process payments for amendments. One thing that helped me was setting up an online account with the IRS (if you haven't already) so you can view your payment history and account transcripts. This way you can actually see both payments posted and track when the duplicate gets flagged for refund. It's reassuring to see the paper trail yourself rather than just relying on what phone agents tell you. The 2-week timeline the IRS agent gave you sounds about right based on my experience. My refund came as a paper check about 16 days after I spoke with them, even though my original payments were electronic. Just wanted to give you some hope that it really does get resolved automatically once they identify it in their system!

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Thanks for mentioning the online IRS account - I didn't even know that was an option! I've been relying on phone calls and just hoping for the best. Being able to actually see the payment history and transcripts would definitely give me more peace of mind while waiting for this to get resolved. Did you find the online account easy to set up? I'm wondering if it requires a lot of documentation or if it's pretty straightforward.

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