When will I get my Washington ESD unemployment tax refund - still waiting

At least you got through to someone! I've been on hold for hours every time I try calling.

The IRS phone lines are absolutely swamped right now. Most people are waiting 3-6 months for unemployment tax refunds.

Oh I didn't realize it was federal! That explains why calling Washington ESD didn't help. So this is totally separate from my regular UI benefits?

Exactly - Washington ESD has nothing to do with tax refunds. This is purely between you and the IRS based on the tax law change.

That's helpful to know! I filed in late February so maybe I'm in the next batch. Did you find this info on the IRS website?

Mostly from tax forums and some IRS updates. They're being super vague about timelines but the pattern seems to be 4-6 months from filing date.

Never heard of that but at this point I'm willing to try anything. The hold times are killing me.

Isn't there a fee for services like that though? Seems like you shouldn't have to pay extra just to talk to the government.

I mean, your time has value too. If you're spending hours on hold every day, sometimes it's worth it to get through faster.

How much did you end up getting back? Trying to figure out if the amount I'm expecting is realistic.

around $1400 which was about right for what i paid in taxes on unemployment. yours will depend on your tax bracket

That tool isn't very helpful for these unemployment tax refunds unfortunately. The IRS is manually reviewing most of these cases.

Manual review explains why it's taking forever. They probably have thousands of people doing this work.

I don't think the tax software matters much for processing speed. The IRS is processing these based on their own internal systems.

I used TurboTax and still waiting, so probably doesn't make a difference.

Totally agree. The timing of this law change was terrible - should have been sorted out before tax season started.

At least they're giving refunds at all. Could have been worse if they just left everyone who already paid hanging.

Good point - I'll start checking my account daily instead of just relying on the IRS website.

Same thing happened to me - just appeared in my account one day with no advance notice

Did they actually help you get useful information or just get you through to someone?

They got me through to an actual IRS agent who could look up my specific case and give me a real timeline. Way better than the generic responses.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is for serious hardship cases usually. You'd need to show the delay is causing significant financial hardship.

Good to know that's an option if this drags on much longer. Bills are definitely piling up.

That matches what I've been seeing too. It's like they're working through filing dates chronologically.

So potentially still 2-3 more months for me since I filed in February. Better than nothing I guess.

I used a tax preparer so hopefully everything was done correctly. But how would I even know if there were errors?

Usually the IRS would send you a letter if there were issues, but with these delays who knows. Check your mail carefully.

Easy to say when you're not the one waiting for money you need! Some people are really struggling here.

i get it, just saying the worrying doesn't help. focus on what you can control

That's reassuring! I was worried they might short people or make calculation errors with all the rushed processing.

mine was exactly what my tax software calculated so they seem to be getting the math right

Did they actually do anything to help or just take your complaint?

They opened a case with the IRS on my behalf. Haven't heard back yet but at least someone official is tracking my situation now.

Thanks for clarifying that distinction. I was getting confused about who was responsible for what.

Wish they'd been clearer about this from the start. A lot of people are calling the wrong agencies.

The IRS does pay interest on refunds that are delayed beyond their normal processing time, but I'm not sure if that applies to these unemployment tax refunds.

From what I've read, these don't qualify for interest payments because they're considered 'amended returns' even though you didn't file an amendment.

Congrats! That gives me hope since I filed just a couple weeks after you.

Thanks for sharing - good to see the January filers are finally getting processed through.

Hang in there! And seriously consider that Claimyr service if you need to talk to the IRS - it saved me hours of frustration.

You'll get through this. The waiting is the hardest part but the refund will come.