Apply ITIN for my wife. How long will it take ?

[Critter-3]

Until your return gets entered into the system you will not see it on the IRS WMR tool ... patience will be needed as it could take 2-4 months yet.  

[santhoz]

@SusanY1 

Hi Susan,

I had filed my Tax returns in paper and applied ITIN for my dependents (spouse and 2 children) together on Feb18th 2020. In early July, My spouse received her ITIN alone and we received a separate ITIN rejection notice (CP567) for my daughters. It was rejected because, I made an error in my Form 1040 in which I checked "Child tax credit" instead of "Credit for other dependents" for my children.

Therefore I reapplied the ITIN for my children (with the rejection notice) along with the Form 1040 in which I corrected the mistake and checked "Credit for other dependents". While I was doing this, my original tax refund got processed and it looks like they didn't consider my children for the returns and refunded an amount which less than what I had applied for.

Its been around 12 weeks since I reapplied for my children's ITIN with no response. I tried speaking to IRS multiple times and they give same response and I should wait for some more time. They also dont give a proper answer to my questions, It will be great if someone in this forum can help.

My question is,

1. What happens after I get the ITIN, Can I reach out to IRS on phone to include my children's ITIN to the same 2019 returns and claim the remaining refund or should I re-file an Amendment tax returns and go through the whole process again?

2. Meanwhile, I was also unable to file the California State tax returns due to the same reason - is it ok to wait until I get the children's ITIN numbers or should I be doing something to keep the state tax department informed?

Please advise. Thanks in advance.

[Spencer632]

Really thanks to everyone here for ur sharing, helping me get through of this issue without too much pressure. The following is my timeline:

Early Jun (I guess around Jun 5th): mail to IRS;

Oct 12: receive ITIN (notification letter on Sep 30th);

Oct 21: receive my passport (letter on Oct 17th).

[franklinrao]

Anyone received the tax refund after the ITIN approval? We got ours approved on September 14 and are still waiting for the tax refund. Thank you.

[Critter-3]

Once the ITIN is approved/issued then the return is forwarded to the IRS processing department and this is considered a mailed in return and expect mailed in returns to take 4-6 months to process due to the covid backlog  ... if the ITIN was approved mid september don't expect anything until January at best.  If it does get processed earlier then Happy Days 😉 .

[franklinrao]

Thank you! I guess I will just keep waiting : )

[Kollivamsi]

I have Filed for Federal Tax and Applied for ITIN by mail around July 10th. I haven't heard anything about ITIN. I tried to call IRS but every time call being canceled by saying due to high volume we can't take the call. Has anyone filed on July for ITIN and received response?

[xmasbaby0]

@Kollivamsi The IRS has been working on opening over 11 million pieces of mail that piled up in trailers during the pandemic.  It is possible that your envelope is still somewhere in the pile of unopened mail.  Sorry---but this will just take patience.

MAILED RETURNS

The IRS has just started to work through millions of mailed returns that have been piling up in trailers during the pandemic.  All you can do is watch the IRS refund site to see when your return makes it to the surface and goes into processing. Sorry.

Per the IRS website IRS Operations During COVID-19: Mission-critical functions continue:

IRS operational status and alternatives

Processing Delays for Paper Tax Returns: Taxpayers should file electronically through their tax preparer, tax software provider, or IRS Free File. 

We’re experiencing delays in processing paper tax returns due to limited staffing. If you already filed a paper return, we will process it in the order we received it.

Do not file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.

If  you mail a tax return (or a payment) to the IRS, it is a good idea to use a mailing service that will track it like UPS or certified mail so you will know it was received.

When you mail a tax return, you need to attach any documents showing tax withheld, such as your W-2’s or any 1099’s. 

TurboTax will not know anything about your mailed return, and will continue to show “Ready to Mail” on your account.  TurboTax will not know that you put your tax return in an envelope and took it to a mailbox.  TurboTax does not get updates on mailed  (or e-filed) returns.

When the IRS finally opens its mail and begins to process mailed returns you can check the status on the IRS site. https://www.irs.gov/refunds

State returns have to be mailed to the state.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

[127chetan]

Hi @Kollivamsi, we filed our taxes and ITIN application around the same time in July 2020. We received an ITIN letter late last week. I'd expect that you'll receive some communication shortly.

[amir4]

My data point:

Applied ITIN: Aug 5/6th, 2020 in IRS office with document verification

Status: Waiting as of Nov 2nd, 2020

[Critter-3]

Due to the covid shut down earlier this year all things requiring human attention is taking much much longer as they wade thru the stacks of applications that kept coming in while they were closed.  

[jawhoo]

update, IRS transferred the tax return to my bank account today.

[jawhoo]

my timeline, 

04/11 - mailed the tax return paperwork and itin application for my wife to IRS

09/14 - received itin of my wife and her passport

11/02 - received the tax return IRS sent to my account

[franklinrao]

jawhoo, thank you for sharing your timeline. Were you able to track your refund status on the IRS website before you actually received the refund in your bank account? Thank you.

[jawhoo]

yes, i was able to see my status from IRS website about a month ago