Tax Year Prior to 2020: Tried calling the IRS. No answer on any number or selection. Gov at its finest. I swear I should have stayed working for them. Do nothing all day and get a pension.

[SFOMARCO]

IRS help line sounds as as worthless as that of Turbo Tax.

[nlynch0071]

These instructions did not work for me. When I didn’t enter my social they hung up on me. And I had called so many times before I finally got through! Can you please provide new instructions? I’ve been waiting almost two months for my federal refund with no word. Thank you. 

[kandisnz]

I finally wrote a letter to my congress rep. They got in touch with an advocate who never bothered to contact me. She wrote them back a letter that said I had never filed... which I DID and I have confirmation it was received on 8/5/20. I was instructed to file again... which I will. I'm sending it priority mail so I have proof that it was delivered. If I don't get a response in 3 weeks I'm supposed to contact the advocate directly... SO all that said. 

Write to the highest level in the Gov that you can. 

[pego1961]

I am so disgusted it is unbelievable.

I can't believe that nobody can answer a phone.

I have tried for days and different times the selection of press #'s and it doesn't matter when they hang up on you call another time they say.

My dad is 91 yrs old, and of course all he is now worried about if they received the tax form, is there something wrong, have they not received it at all. I sent the tax form in on Feb 22, 2020, you think I would have heard something by now..

I understand we are all in a pandemic, but I also work from home, and I don't stop not answering my phone or attending clients just because I'm home.

This is our tax dollars doing their finest work.. HURRAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[VolvoGirl]

Is he waiting for a refund?  See the first question at IRS

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue

"The IRS is now opening mail within normal timeframes. The IRS has also made significant progress in processing prior year returns. As of May 15, 2021, we had 300,000 individual tax returns received prior to 2021 in the processing pipeline. Including current year returns, as of May 15, 2021, we had 16.4 million unprocessed individual returns in the pipeline........"

[kandisnz]

I mailed in my return again because my 'advocate' said I hadn't filed...which I HAD. I sent it priority mail and still nothing.... It's been 10 months.... and nothing. If they are opening them on time they are failing. 

[barb1967wood]

Filed Feb 12  My return is still being processed. Have tried for hours to get hold of someone using all phone prompts at IRS and always get call back later recording. This is awful

[SweetieJean]

Unfortunately, contacting the IRS won't speed things up.  Going forward, consider changing your withholding so that you don't have to wait for a refund at tax time.  Why give the government an interest free loan all year?

[kandisnz]

My withholdings are minimal. They have to refund me for money I paid into the insurance system. $5000. That's not on anything I did. My insurance company charged me too much and took the dividend for it. AND I have a child who get's claimed. Even if I claim 0 I STILL get a refund. Always. It's the system. 

[UncleDave]

I had to do this several times on a Monday morning at the end of August and got the message re: Excessive Call Volume and no one available. I tried again around 5:00PM PDT and got through to a GREAT representative who explained that due to backlogs from 2019, short-staff, etc. mailed-in returns that were received at the Fresno site just haven't been scanned in, yet and that it will take much longer for my return to get processed.

Thank you SO MUCH for this solution!!!!

[pat43bailey]

I have checked the "Where my refund" site (about 50x) since I filed my 2020 taxes in April 2021.  Always said "in  processing".  Now there is no status.  I created an account online thinking information would be there but nothing.  No one answers any of the options (says call back), called 10x in the last 3 days at different times.

[kandisnz]

I contacted my congress person and it took a second filing priority mail to get it processed. It took almost 11 months and I never got my second stimulus because I 'didn't file' my 2019 taxes. So frustrating. 

[xmasbaby0]

@kandisnz To get the 2nd EIP payment you need to use the recovery rebate credit on a 2020 return.   If you did not file 2020 yet you need to go through the Federal Review in the 2020 return and get the payment.   Or if you filed 2020 without doing that, you will need to amend your 2020 return.   There is no place to enter anything about the 2nd stimulus payment on a 2021 return.   You can use your 2021 return to get the 3rd payment. 

Again.....use the recovery rebate credit  in Federal Review and the stimulus will show up on line 30 of your Form 1040.

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

[nmheatwole]

I have tried these steps above multiple times of the day, different days, and not once has this worked either, after I reach the last step it says that due to high call volumes they cannot take the call at this time, try another, I do and this is the response every single time. I am so frustrated and I NEED TO SPEAK WITH A HUMAN, how can I actually do this?

[DoninGA]

---

@nmheatwole wrote:

I have tried these steps above multiple times of the day, different days, and not once has this worked either, after I reach the last step it says that due to high call volumes they cannot take the call at this time, try another, I do and this is the response every single time. I am so frustrated and I NEED TO SPEAK WITH A HUMAN, how can I actually do this?

---

Did you try these steps -

Call the IRS: 1-800-829-1040 hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Monday-Friday
When calling the IRS do NOT choose the first option re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.
So after first choosing your language, then do NOT choose Option 1 (refund info). Choose option 2 for "personal income tax" instead.
Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".
Then press 3 "for all other questions."
Then press 2 "for all other questions."
- When it asks you to enter your SSN or EIN to access your account information, don't enter anything.
- After it asks twice, you will get another menu.

Press 2 for personal or individual tax questions.
Then press 4 for all other inquiries
It should then transfer you to an agent.