2020 Fed Tax Refund Received!

[mickeyd]

Filed in March and the refund was in my checking account in about a week.

 

[VFK57]

More over, 3 days after I filed our 2020 Return, the E-Trade issued amended Consolidated 1099 on Dividends we received in 2020. It should add to our Refund additional $521. I did amendments to 1040, added copy of 1099 Consolidated and explanation letter and mailed by certified mail on May 15, still waiting for response. Could it be another 6 months?

 

[Gumby]

I mailed my tax return by certified mail on February 19th. The USPS tracking system says it was received in Ogden on February 22nd. The certified mail return receipt is stamped by the IRS on March 4th. Which means that, at the very least, they have had over 12 weeks now to process my return. Still a complete blank on the "Where's My Refund?' site. So I think I'll be justified in calling them next week. I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.

 

[freedomatlast]

I mailed my tax return by certified mail on February 19th. The USPS tracking system says it was received in Ogden on February 22nd. The certified mail return receipt is stamped by the IRS on Marth 4th. Which means that, at the very least, they have had over 12 weeks now to process my return. Still a complete blank on the "Where's My Refund?' site. So I think I'll be justified in calling them next week. I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.

I mailed mine in March and have called twice. They seem to know nothing more than what we see on the "where's my refund" screen. They do make a note of the conversation each time you call. They have told me NOT to mail in a copy, and to just wait since they have bins full of 2019 returns that have not yet been processed, let alone "rooms" full of 2020 returns that are still waiting to be processed.

What a system.

 

[RetireeRobert]

I mailed mine in March and have called twice. They seem to know nothing more than what we see on the "where's my refund" screen. They do make a note of the conversation each time you call. They have told me NOT to mail in a copy, and to just wait since they have bins full of 2019 returns that have not yet been processed, let alone "rooms" full of 2020 returns that are still waiting to be processed.

What a system.

Holy moly!

 

[SecondCor521]

I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.

800-829-1040, although I read in articles that only about 9% of people get through to a live person these days, and I also read reports of long hold times. And if freedomatlast's comments are accurate (I assume they are), then the person won't be able to help. So although I'm annoyed at my delayed refund as well, I'm not going to bother trying to call for a long while.

 

[Tadpole]

I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.

Several weeks ago I got through on my 3rd or 4th try and had a very short wait after I got through. The instruction I followed was:

https://igotmyrefund.com/
Talk To a Live Person

(800) 829-0582 Ext. 652
When they ask you to push 1 for English, do nothing and just wait. I first called at exactly 7AM local time. It said it had too many calls but I kept hanging up and calling. I got through on about my 3rd or 4th try.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Several weeks ago I got through on my 3rd or 4th try and had a very short wait after I got through. The instruction I followed was:

And once you talked to a "live person", what did/could they tell you?

 

[Tadpole]

And once you talked to a "live person", what did/could they tell you?

She confirmed that many early submissions were diverted because the first SSN on the return was not the same as the SSN under which the quarterly estimated taxes were submitted. They are telling people that when the quarter tax is not under the SSN of the primary filer (first name on the tax return), they must manually move the credit for the paid tax to the primary filer so they just sideline these. She set up a request for a Tax Advocate to call me within 5 days to help with this. However, about 2 days later my (and others with this problem) tax return was processed. The Tax Advocate called on the 5th day and we had a nice chat, fed to retired fed, nevertheless. The phone call seemed to expedite a solution to my stalled processing but it also could have been coincidence.

 

[Gumby]

I mailed my tax return by certified mail on February 19th. The USPS tracking system says it was received in Ogden on February 22nd. The certified mail return receipt is stamped by the IRS on March 4th. Which means that, at the very least, they have had over 12 weeks now to process my return. Still a complete blank on the "Where's My Refund?' site. So I think I'll be justified in calling them next week. I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.

Just to update, I didn't call this week (too busy) but "Where's My Refund?" website now says my return is "still being processed", so I suppose we are making some progress.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Gumby said: Which means that, at the very least, they have had over 12 weeks now to process my return. Still a complete blank on the "Where's My Refund?' site. So I think I'll be justified in calling them next week. I just need to find a phone number that will allow me to speak to an actual person.
Just to update, I didn't call this week (too busy) but "Where's My Refund?" website now says my return is "still being processed", so I suppose we are making some progress.


Don't get your hopes up about progress. I mailed my paper return Feb.23. Did not show up at all on IRS Refund Status until late April about 2 months after mailing. Then IRS Refund Status page said "still being processed". As of today, a month and a half after at least showing up on the processing status site, it still says "Still being processed".

 

[VFK57]

I mailed mine in March and have called twice. They seem to know nothing more than what we see on the "where's my refund" screen. They do make a note of the conversation each time you call. They have told me NOT to mail in a copy, and to just wait since they have bins full of 2019 returns that have not yet been processed, let alone "rooms" full of 2020 returns that are still waiting to be processed.

What a system.

They have a complete mess there. I also had a CP2000 note from the IRS in June 2020 with same story what I already had in 2016 Tax return. My wife stock exercise ISO was included in W-2 but they wanted to tax it twice. We mailed a proof that it was included in W-2 three times but only a year later (for 2016 Tax return) they acknowledged it. Yet for 2018 Tax Return, they do not, despite we just mailed copies of W-2 inclusion of this amount for the 4th time.

 

[timbervest]

Filed 5/17/21
Fed refund received 5/25/21
CA State refund received 6/2/21

 

[thod]

My father has had his refund delayed since Feb/March, no one could really tell him why for a long time.

Turns out it was 'flagged' for potential fraud and he needed to verify his identity to the IRS before it could continue being processed. He took care of that last week, and continues to wait for the refund.

Why was it 'flagged'?

My step-mom died in April 2020 (Covid-19) and he anticipated his return was going to be complicated, so he used a tax-preparer he knew. The return also got filed electronically.

This is the first time he has done either (tax preparer and filed electronically). So the IRS flagged that as unusual and stopped the processing until the identity could be verified. Only no one told anyone that the identity needed to be verified. Calls to check on the progress did not reveal this either. I think the tax-preparer eventually was able to figure out what the hold up was somehow.

Identity has now been verified.

I guess it is nice they are trying to catch the fraud, just seems like someone could have told him or the tax preparer. Either proactively or during one of the numerous queries they placed.

 

[Fermion]

So how will we know if there is a problem processing our refund? It still says "being processed" since filing in early April.

 

[aja8888]

I'm finding it much easier to send them a check each year than to wait for a refund.

 

[Badger]

I haven't had a refund in maybe a couple of decades. A very long time ago and before the mortgage was paid off I did my own taxes with pencil/paper and then later with a computer. Now AARP does my taxes (and I usually owe a little) then files it electronically. Once that is done then I am through until next year except for quarterly payment estimates for the present year.



Cheers!

 

[Steeler75]

I'm finding it much easier to send them a check each year than to wait for a refund.

While waiting for a nominal $2k refund from tax return filed in March, received letter from IRS last week, stating that I owed $10k...

Finally got through on the phone (no easy task), and come to find out, they had no record of my Q4 2020 estimated tax payment nor my Q1 2021 estimated tax payment.

After another hour on the line with the rep, he was able to locate my Q1 2021 payment and processed it, but was unable to locate my Q4 2020 payment. Put my account on 9 week hold while he notified his manager.

I submitted payments thru ACH transfer and bank statement shows the withdrawal correctly. Not sure how to resolve as they took my money, just didn’t allocate it to my account.

Sucks!

 

[mistermike40]

I'm still waiting. My electronically-filed return was accepted on February 23... today the IRS website says my return is "still being processed". It's close to 3 1/2 months now, I'm losing hope.

 

[John Galt III]

I'm still waiting. My electronically-filed return was accepted on February 23... today the IRS website says my return is "still being processed". It's close to 3 1/2 months now, I'm losing hope.

I'm jumping for joy since I checked today, and my 2020 refund is "still being processed". The relevant words being "being processed". Prior to this, it was "no information found. Are you sure you entered your data correctly?" So, a big jump ahead here! Woohoo ! I now have hope!

 

[SecondCor521]

I finally got a letter today explaining, in not so many words, that they're missing a 1095A. The exchange never sent one, so I get to go down that rabbit hole on Monday.

 

[Dtail]

I finally got a letter today explaining, in not so many words, that they're missing a 1095A. The exchange never sent one, so I get to go down that rabbit hole on Monday.

That is why the 1095A should be a filing requirement for the tax user. Then the middleman is taken out of the equation.

 

[SecondCor521]

That is why the 1095A should be a filing requirement for the tax user. Then the middleman is taken out of the equation.

Yeah, they pretty much imply that you're supposed to just copy the numbers over from the 1095As that the marketplace sends you (and copies to the IRS, of course).

I knew the 1095A never showed up, but when I called the marketplace before I didn't get anywhere with them. "Are you sure?" "It should be there" "We don't see a problem" etc.

Since it was an exchange policy for my tax dependent and I paid the premiums, I went ahead and added the numbers for both the premiums and the applicable SLCSP in the proper rows on my 8962 because I thought I was entitled to the PTC.

At this point I probably have to either get the marketplace to issue a 1095A (unlikely since they didn't do it in January like they should have), or discover some glitch in the matrix that means my offspring's ACA policy doesn't count for some reason, and/or just give up and lose the PTC for that policy. Filing an amended return in the latter two cases I guess.

Normally it's easy, but in this tax year my dependent moved away to college, so we decided to get them their own ACA policy there and take them off my policy. That part nearly took an act of God as well.

Now I get to argue, debate, and fight with my state marketplace people and my friends at the IRS. What a pain in the rear.

 

[karen1972]

This is the first time my refund has ever been held up. Electronically filed immediately after the ACA update was fixed in the tax software, it was processing and the converted to "still processing" mode which I assume means something triggered a further look. Been checking the mail box wondering if they needed something. Not sure if there is a set amount of time one should wait before calling given how backlogged they are.

 

[SecondCor521]

At this point I probably have to either get the marketplace to issue a 1095A (unlikely since they didn't do it in January like they should have), or discover some glitch in the matrix that means my offspring's ACA policy doesn't count for some reason, and/or just give up and lose the PTC for that policy. Filing an amended return in the latter two cases I guess.

Emphasis added.

Well, it turns out that the mistake was mine.

My offspring's ACA policy was a catastrophic plan (we picked the cheapest thing and they're under 30). My marketplace tells me they don't issue 1095A forms for catastrophic policies. And with good reason, as apparently PTC doesn't apply to catastrophic plans.

So I need to file an amended return. I think. The letter says not to, but I know my return is in error. Calling the IRS now.