stuck in the same boat waiting for fed but got my NY state refund already deposited last week

anyone else notice the irs website is down AGAIN? 🤡

Has anyone actually gone through an audit on this kind of situation? I claimed my girlfriend's daughter last year and now we're being audited. The biological father also claimed her even though she only sees him every other weekend. I'm terrified we'll have to pay back the child tax credit.

I went through a similar situation a few years back and learned some important details that might help you. The key thing to understand is that when multiple people could potentially claim the same child, the IRS has "tiebreaker rules" to determine who has priority. Since you're not married to your girlfriend, you'd need to qualify under the "qualifying relative" rules rather than "qualifying child" rules. This means you need to provide more than 50% of the child's total support AND the child's gross income must be less than the exemption amount (which isn't an issue for a 7-year-old). The tricky part is that if the biological father is eligible to claim the child but chooses not to, that doesn't automatically make you eligible. However, if you truly provide more than half the support and meet the other tests, you may have a valid claim. My advice would be to carefully calculate exactly what percentage of the child's total annual support you're providing (housing, food, clothing, medical, education, etc.) and document everything. If it's genuinely over 50% and the child lives with you more than half the year, you likely have a stronger claim than the biological father, regardless of the child support he pays. Just make sure to communicate with all parties involved to avoid duplicate claims, which can trigger audits for everyone.

Has anyone used a third-party service to help with the ERO application? I'm in a similar boat and wondering if it's worth hiring someone or if I should just apply directly.

I actually went through this exact situation about 2 years ago with a DUI from 6 years prior. I was terrified that it would prevent me from getting ERO status, but it turned out to be much less of an issue than I expected. The key things that helped me were: 1) Being completely honest on Form 8633 - I disclosed everything upfront, 2) Including a brief letter explaining the circumstances and what I learned from the experience, and 3) Emphasizing my clean record and professional conduct since then. My application was approved without any follow-up questions. The IRS seems much more concerned with recent issues or patterns of behavior rather than isolated incidents from several years ago. Your 9 years of experience as a tax preparer with an active PTIN actually works strongly in your favor - it shows you've been trusted with tax preparation responsibilities and maintained good standing. Don't let the DUI stop you from pursuing your business goals. Just be honest, provide complete information, and let your professional track record speak for itself.

Has anyone successfully resolved this error by creating an IRS online account? I've heard sometimes you can pull your exact AGI from their transcript system.

I had this exact same reject code last week and it was driving me crazy! After reading through all these suggestions, I ended up trying the IRS transcript approach that Carmen mentioned. Created my online account at IRS.gov and pulled up my 2023 tax transcript - turns out the AGI I had been using was off by exactly $1! Must have been a rounding error somewhere. Used the exact number from the transcript and my return was accepted within minutes. Definitely recommend checking your transcript first before trying the other methods - it's free and might save you a lot of time and stress. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice in this thread!

Pro tip: Always make copies or scan important tax documents before sending anything to the IRS! I learned this the hard way years ago. Now I have a digital folder for each tax year with scans of all my documents.

I've been through this exact situation! Don't worry too much - the postal service will almost certainly return your envelope to you marked "postage due" or "return to sender." It usually takes about 3-7 business days depending on your location. While you're waiting for it to come back, I'd recommend taking these steps right away: 1) Contact your employer's HR or payroll department TODAY and request duplicate W-2s. Tell them it's urgent due to the tax deadline - most companies can reissue them within a few days. 2) If you have your final paystub from December, that contains most of the same information as your W-2 and can help you get started on preparing a backup return. 3) Consider switching to e-filing for this year once you get your documents sorted out. It's much safer, faster, and you get immediate confirmation that the IRS received your return. The good news is you still have time before the deadline, and this happens to more people than you'd think! Just don't wait around - start working on getting those replacement documents now so you're ready to file as soon as possible.