Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Have you considered just using a tax professional who specializes in ERTC claims? DIY approach with disclosure statements is risky with how aggressively the IRS is auditing these credits lately. My company worked with a specialized CPA firm that handled everything, including creating a comprehensive reasonable basis document. They included case-specific citations for our industry and documentation of exactly how our business met the criteria. Cost us about $3,500 but they helped us claim nearly $180K in credits correctly, so well worth the fee.
What firm did you use? I've been hesitant about some of these ERTC specialist companies because there seem to be so many pop-up firms just chasing these claims and I'm worried about getting aggressive advice that could cause problems later.
I used a regional accounting firm in our area that already handled our regular tax work, not one of the ERTC mills that appeared overnight. That's exactly why I suggested finding a professional - too many firms are pushing aggressive positions without considering the documentation needed to support them. If you already have a CPA or tax preparer, ask if they have ERTC experience or can refer you to someone reputable. The best protection is having a tax professional who will stand behind their work and be there if questions come up later. The firms that properly document reasonable basis positions are worth their weight in gold right now with all the ERTC scrutiny.
Just an FYI for everyone in this thread - the IRS announced increased scrutiny of ERTC claims last month. They're specifically looking at claims that don't have strong documentation of eligibility. So definitely document everything thoroughly whether you use Form 8275-type disclosures or not. The moratorium on processing new claims was lifted, but they're applying extra review steps. My accountant said claims with detailed supporting documentation are moving through faster than those without.
Yeah my claim from October is still "processing" even though the IRS cashed the check for the quarter I had to pay additional tax on. Feels like they're just sitting on these claims hoping people forget about them.
Join the conversation
Here's what I did in your situation - I calculated my total expected income from all jobs, then figured out what tax bracket that puts me in. Then I did the withholding calculations as if each job was my only job, but used that higher tax bracket percentage. For example, if each individual job would put me in the 12% bracket, but combined they put me in the 22% bracket, I made sure each job was withholding at least 22% of my income. It's not perfect but it worked well enough to avoid owing a huge amount.
Doesn't that mean you're overwithholding though? Wouldn't you end up with a massive refund? I'm trying to get mine as close to zero as possible.
You're right that it might result in slightly overwithholding, but in my experience it wasn't a massive refund - just enough to feel safe. The reason is that not all your income is taxed at your highest bracket rate because of how tax brackets work. Only the portion above each threshold gets taxed at the higher rate. So while it's not perfectly calibrated, it's a simple approach that errs on the side of caution. I'd rather get a small refund than owe money and potentially face penalties.
Has anyone tried the "Two Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet" on the W4 form? I tried filling it out last year and got so confused. The instructions say to only complete it on one W4 (highest paying job) but I don't understand how that accounts for all jobs.
I tried it and it worked pretty well! The key is you ONLY fill out that worksheet and put the extra withholding amount on your highest-paying job's W4 (Step 4c). For your other jobs, you just fill out the basic info but don't do any adjustments. The worksheet basically calculates the additional tax you need to withhold to make up for having multiple jobs, then concentrates it all on one paycheck. It seems weird at first but makes sense when you think about it.
Join the conversation
One specific tip I haven't seen mentioned yet - if your only US income is from investments (stocks, etc) and the total amount of US tax withheld covers your tax liability, you might not even need to file a US tax return at all as a non-resident. But if you have that rental property, you definitely need to file because you want to deduct expenses! Make sure you're keeping good records of all property expenses to offset that rental income.
Thanks for mentioning this! Do you know what the threshold is for when filing becomes mandatory vs. optional for investment income? Also, with the rental property, can I deduct things like property management fees to my cousin who handles it?
The filing threshold depends on your specific situation and income types. Generally, if you only have investment income subject to proper withholding at source (usually 30% or treaty rate), and no effectively connected income, you might not need to file. But there's no specific dollar threshold - it's based on whether the correct tax was already withheld. Regarding your property management fees - yes, you can absolutely deduct legitimate property management fees paid to your cousin. Just make sure the fees are reasonable (market rate) and documented properly with formal agreements and payment records. The IRS can scrutinize payments to relatives more closely, so keep good documentation showing these are genuine business expenses.
Quick tip - I use FreeTaxUSA for my non-resident filing. It handles Form 1040-NR and costs way less than TurboTax. Just make sure you select the right forms for non-resident filing. I paid like $30 last year for everything including state. Also, don't forget Form 8833 if you're claiming treaty benefits! That's the one most non-residents miss and then overpay their taxes.
Does FreeTaxUSA handle rental income for non-residents too? I'm in almost the same situation as OP.
Join the conversation
Something similar happened to me a few years back, though with a smaller amount. I think some accountants default to applying refunds to next year's estimated taxes because it's easier for them to manage their clients' tax planning. But they should ALWAYS discuss this with you first, especially for such a large amount. I'd honestly consider finding a new accountant after this. At the very least, they should have explained why they made this choice and given you options. The fact that they're being dismissive about it now is even more concerning.
Would you recommend discussing this issue with the accountant's supervisor? Or is it better to just move on to a new tax professional at this point?
I'd definitely escalate this to a supervisor or the firm's partner. A mid-5-figure refund being handled differently than expected without client consultation is a serious customer service issue. Explain calmly that this decision has significant financial implications for you, and you expect them to help resolve it, including assistance with filing the amended return. If they're still dismissive after escalation, that's when I'd definitely move on to a new tax professional. A good accountant should be willing to explain their decisions and help fix issues when they arise. Also, be sure to get clear communication about their standard procedures before next tax season, regardless of which firm you use.
I'm curious - why did you have such a large refund in the first place? Not judging, just thinking you might want to adjust your withholding going forward. That's basically an interest-free loan to the government of $4,000 per month.
This is actually good advice. I adjusted my W-4 last year to have less withheld and get more in each paycheck instead of a big refund. It's made a huge difference in my monthly budget!
That's a fair question. We had some unusual circumstances last year - I received a large bonus that had mandatory 37% withholding, plus we sold some property but had significant basis in it so the withholding ended up being much higher than the actual tax due. We normally try to get our withholding pretty close to what we'll owe. You're absolutely right though - going forward we're adjusting everything to prevent this situation. I just need to solve the immediate problem of getting this year's refund back rather than having it applied to estimated taxes.
Mateo Warren
Just a heads up from someone who's done this a few times - make sure you're also considering your state tax extension requirements! Many states automatically extend when you get a federal extension, but some require a separate form and payment. For example, I have a single member LLC in California, and I need to file Form FTB 3519 for my state extension in addition to the federal Form 4868. And like the federal extension, CA requires payment of estimated tax by the original due date. Check your state's department of revenue website for specific requirements since they vary a lot.
0 coins
Sofia Price
•Do you know if Texas requires a separate form? I've got an LLC there but can't figure out if I need to do anything special for the state since they don't have personal income tax, but do have that franchise tax thing.
0 coins
Mateo Warren
•Texas is a bit different since they don't have personal income tax. For a single member LLC in Texas, you're right about the franchise tax. If your LLC's revenue is over the threshold (currently $1,230,000), you need to file a franchise tax report by the due date or request an extension. For the extension in Texas, you'd file Form 05-164 and make any required payment. Even if you're below the no-tax-due threshold, you may still need to file a "No Tax Due Report" by the deadline or request an extension. The Texas Comptroller's website has detailed information specific to your situation.
0 coins
Alice Coleman
Have any of you used TurboSelf for filing extensions for single member LLCs? Their ads keep popping up on my feed claiming they specialize in self-employed taxes, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money compared to other options.
0 coins
Owen Jenkins
•I tried TurboSelf last year for my LLC extension and it was okay but not great. It handled the basic Form 4868 fine, but wasn't very helpful with calculating a good estimated payment amount. I ended up overpaying by almost $2,000 because it used a very conservative calculation method. Their support was also really slow to respond when I had questions about how to properly categorize some business expenses that would affect my payment amount. I think there are better options out there specifically for small business owners.
0 coins