I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed in early March and got the identity verification notice in mid-April. It's been 7 weeks now and still no letter. The "Where's My Refund" tool is useless - just keeps saying "still being processed." I called the 800-830-5084 number twice but gave up after being on hold for over 90 minutes each time. This is so frustrating when you're counting on that money! Based on what everyone else is saying here, it seems like 8-10 weeks is becoming the new normal unfortunately. I'm going to try the ID.me route that Dylan mentioned - hopefully that works faster than waiting for this phantom letter to show up.

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed in early March, got my verification notice around the same time as you in April, and now it's been 7 weeks with no letter. The frustrating part is that "Where's My Refund" just keeps saying the same thing - "still being processed." I've tried calling the 800-830-5084 number twice but couldn't get through after waiting over an hour each time. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it seems like 8-10 weeks is unfortunately becoming the new normal for these letters. I'm definitely going to try the ID.me verification route that Dylan mentioned - seems like our best bet for getting this resolved without waiting indefinitely for a letter that might never show up. Really hoping we can get this sorted soon because I'm counting on that refund money too!

Is anyone using TurboTax for nonresident alien returns? I tried but it keeps getting confused about my pretax deductions and tax treaty benefits.

I went through this exact same issue last year! As a nonresident alien from Canada on a TN visa, I was initially told by my employer that my health insurance premiums couldn't be excluded from federal wages. After doing extensive research and consulting with a tax professional, I discovered that the Canada-US tax treaty actually does allow for certain pretax deductions to be excluded from taxable income, even for nonresident aliens. The problem is that many payroll departments aren't familiar with the nuances of different tax treaties and visa classifications. I had to provide my HR team with specific references to Article XV of the Canada-US tax treaty and IRS Revenue Procedure 84-35 to get them to issue a corrected W-2. My advice: Don't just accept your employer's word on this. The rules vary significantly based on your home country's tax treaty with the US and your specific visa status. I'd recommend getting documentation from the IRS or a qualified tax professional who specializes in nonresident alien taxation before accepting that your pretax deductions should be fully taxable at the federal level.

I think there's definitely some confusion here about the line numbers. I just completed the Jennifer Taxpayer practice exam yesterday and can confirm that in the current version, you're asked about line 2b for taxable interest, not line 15. For anyone still working on this: the $1,250 from savings account interest plus the $875 from the Capital One 1099-INT should total $2,125 and go on line 2b. Any tax-exempt municipal bond interest would go on line 2a instead. It sounds like some people might be working with an older version of the practice exam that references outdated line numbers. I'd recommend downloading the most current version from Intuit's website to avoid this confusion. The actual 2022 Form 1040 has taxable interest on line 2b, and that's what the updated practice exam should be testing.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I was having the exact same issue with the Jennifer Taxpayer practice exam and getting really frustrated. After reading through all these responses, I realize I was making two mistakes: 1) I was looking at an older version of the practice exam that referenced line 15 instead of line 2b, and 2) I was accidentally including some tax-exempt municipal bond interest in my taxable interest calculation. Just to confirm for anyone else still struggling - on the current 2022 Form 1040, taxable interest goes on line 2b (not line 15), and for Jennifer's scenario it should be $1,250 + $875 = $2,125. The tax-exempt interest from municipal bonds goes separately on line 2a. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with the different tools and resources too. It's really helpful to know there are options like taxr.ai and even ways to reach actual IRS agents when you get stuck on these practice scenarios.

Don't forget about the National Standards for vehicle operating costs vs. ownership costs on the 433-A. They're two different line items. For 2025, the ownership costs (car payments) are capped at $664 per vehicle for up to two vehicles if you or your spouse need them for work or health reasons. Operating costs (maintenance, insurance, gas) depend on your region. So definitely check the current standards for your area.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who successfully went through this exact situation last year. I had three older vehicles (all 12+ years old) that I sold privately and used the proceeds toward two newer financed cars during my CNC application process. The key things that helped me were: 1) Getting written appraisals on the old vehicles before selling to show their declining value, 2) Keeping detailed records of all repair costs over the previous 18 months (mine totaled over $4,200), and 3) Making sure the timing between sales and purchases was tight - no more than 2 weeks between transactions. My revenue officer actually appreciated that I was being proactive about reliable transportation rather than potentially missing work due to breakdowns. The fact that your four vehicles are only worth $8k total and need significant repairs makes this a very reasonable decision from a financial perspective. One tip: when you fill out the 433-A, make sure to include a brief explanation letter with your documentation showing the math of how this decision actually saves money long-term when you factor in avoided repair costs plus the reliability factor for maintaining employment.

I just went through this exact same process a few months ago! One additional tip that really helped me - if you filed your taxes electronically and used tax software, check your software account from 2020. Many programs like TurboTax, H&R Block, etc. keep records of what you reported on your return, including whether you claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit for EIP 2. If you see that you claimed the credit on your 2020 return, that means you didn't receive the payment. If you didn't claim it, there's a good chance you did receive it (though as others mentioned, it could have been offset or sent as a card you might have missed). Also, don't forget to check if you might have received a partial payment. Some people got reduced amounts based on their 2019 vs 2020 income differences, which can make tracking even more confusing. The transcript will show the exact amount that was issued to you. One last thing - if you do end up needing to amend your return, make sure to include Form 8915-E if you took any coronavirus-related distributions from retirement accounts in 2020. I made that mistake initially and had to file a second amendment!

I had a similar situation last year and found that the most reliable method was actually to request Form 1040-X instructions from the IRS website, which includes a specific worksheet for tracking Economic Impact Payments. The worksheet walks you through exactly what to look for on your transcript and helps you calculate if you're missing any payments. One thing that helped me was also checking my 2020 tax return (Form 1040, line 30) to see if I had already claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit for EIP 2. If that line shows $600 (or more with dependents), it means I told the IRS I never received the payment when I filed. If it's blank or shows $0, I likely did receive it. Also, keep in mind that if your 2020 income was significantly higher than your 2019 income, you might not have been eligible for the full EIP 2 amount even if you got the first and third payments. The income thresholds were the same, but they used your most recently processed return at the time each payment was issued. The IRS will definitely apply any refund from an amended return to outstanding balances first, which could help with your interest situation. Just make absolutely sure you didn't receive it before amending - the penalties for incorrectly claiming a payment you already got are steep!