Long one ahead.....
Ok. So for those of us who have not been blessed by the tax return gods yet and are still waiting...here is a little of my situation. Again, this is MY situation and I am only sharing with those who may be having similar situations. However, even with the information that I am sharing, all situations are different and this may or may not apply to everyone.
So I have the 570 code with no codes following. I have had no changes as of this morning, so this prompted me to start calling. This morning (as soon as they opened) I called the IRS (directly). I was on hold for about 10 minutes and finally spoke with someone. She was standoffish and did not want to give me much information, so I made it a point to read between the lines and this is what I got from her. My return was chosen for review and a letter sent because there is a $246.00 (she did not tell me the number) discrepancy in my return. Cool. I take the hit because I used my last pay stub not my return. So this will take 60 days to review and not to do anything until I hear something further. That didn't sit right with me so I called the appointment line. The lady there said that she could not make an appointment (no explanation) but that she would review for me. I was on the phone with her for about .5 hours. She gave me new information. She stated that the code on my transcripts is incorrect and should be listed as something else, however not the biggest issue, but it was good that I saw that there was even a code involved. However, she broke down the numbers for me and told me about the $246.00 (mentioned above). She stated that this year has been a new year with the IRS cracking down on the smallest miscalculations and freezing accounts. She told me not to do anything and to wait out the 60 days (like the lady before), but still offered more information (at least I know the exact issue). At the end of the call , the lady from the appointment hotline quickly advised me to contact a local advocate. Nice! Progress maybe? So on my lunch break I reached out to a local advocate and here is the kicker, she could not do anything...right now that is. The IRS has limited the ability of the advocates due to the number of cases submitted requesting for refunds to be expedited that basically it did not improve anything, it actually caused a backup in the system when it was time to review cases to confirm accuracy after refunds had been sent. Because of this, advocates have limited access to the system and are unable to submit cases until March 2 (30 days after the IRS started accepting returns). Even when they submit cases, they are limited to what they can do. Apparently, the largest group that will have a hard time will be those requesting that their refunds being expedited for hardship (I did not ask specifics as this is not something I am looking for). So for my case, she said that even on March 2nd, even if I was to submit a case through them, they can only submit and then close it, they will not be able to follow up or add additional request (I have never used their services, so some of this is like a foreign language to me so if you have used them and it makes sense then here you go). So she suggested that I submit a amended return and send it directly to the review department and request on the top of the form that it be expedited. Send it certified and request signature. The day that it is signed for is the day that I can start a 30 day countdown. Since I am amending due to a letter received, that the count down is 30 days - no longer 60 days. If 30 days passes with no resolution, then and only then can the advocate open a case and keep it open, however only to provide changes in dates and to submit information electronically if requested by the IRS account manager and nothing more. As I stated, I am not sure what they were able to do before but apparently they are limited at this point. So with that said, I am not sure how they operated before, I do not know what has been told to me is 100% accurate, I am only sharing what my experience has been thus far and what has been said. Most likely next week, I will call and see if anything differs in responses and if they do I will share.
If anyone else is waiting, please let us know how you are navigating, we are all just trying to get our money!
