Do paper I-bonds still exist? I thought Treasury phased those out years ago. And if I get paper bonds through my tax refund, how would I convert them to electronic later?

Paper I-bonds do still exist, but ONLY through the tax refund process. It's the only way to get them since Treasury Direct otherwise went fully electronic. To convert paper bonds to electronic, you'd use the Treasury Direct "SmartExchange" feature after creating an account. You fill out a form with your paper bond information, mail the bonds to Treasury, and they add them to your electronic account. It takes a few weeks for processing, but then you can manage them online like any other Treasury Direct holdings. Some people actually prefer this method since the paper bonds can be held for safekeeping and don't require online account access until you're ready to redeem them.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service saved me too! But they're super backed up these days... took almost 2 months to get an appointment at my local office. Definitely worth trying though, just don't expect immediate help.

Thanks for the tip! Will I need any specific documentation from Fidelity if I make this IRA contribution now for last year? And should I reduce the contribution amount since we'll only get 10% back?

You don't need any special documentation from Fidelity for your tax return. When you make the contribution, just make sure you specify it's for the 2023 tax year. Fidelity will eventually send a Form 5498, but that usually comes after the tax filing deadline and isn't needed to claim the credit. As for reducing the contribution amount, I'd still recommend contributing the full amount to reach $2,000 total. Even though you're only getting 10% back as a direct credit ($200), remember that traditional IRA contributions also reduce your taxable income. So you're getting both the $200 credit AND the tax deduction on your contribution, which at your income level could save you another 22% or so in taxes on that money.

I amended last year for exactly this reason! It was a bit of paperwork but totally worth it in my case. Got back about $280 between the credit and the deduction on a $1,400 contribution. Just filed Form 1040-X with the corrected info and Form 8880 for the credit.

Thanks for sharing your experience! $280 back on $1,400 is pretty good. I think I'm gonna go ahead with the amendment. I hate leaving money on the table, even if it's just a couple hundred bucks.

Thanks for the suggestion! Yeah, I tried different browsers, clearing cache, even my phone - same maintenance message everywhere. I think their servers are just down. I ended up filing an extension through the IRS Free File site just to be safe. Thankfully I'm pretty sure I'm getting a refund so I shouldn't have any penalties. Just super frustrating to be so close to finishing!

Good move filing the extension - that'll give you plenty of time. And yeah, if you're getting a refund, there's zero penalty for filing later with an extension. The penalties only apply when you owe money and haven't paid by the deadline. For what it's worth, FreeTaxUSA has been my go-to for years and this is the first time I've heard of them having major issues so close to the deadline. Their customer service is usually pretty good about making things right, so maybe reach out to them once things are back up and running.

Thanks for the update! I just checked and was able to log in too. Website seems to be running slower than usual but at least it's working again.

OMG thank you!!! Just logged in and all my information is still there! Finishing up right now before anything else can go wrong. What a stressful evening this has been!

Would statements from my online banking work? I can see all my mortgage payments there with remaining principal balance after each payment.

Online banking statements typically won't work because they usually only show the payment amount and maybe the remaining balance, but rarely show the interest rate or break down how much of each payment went to principal vs. interest. The IRS specifically wants to see the interest rate and the beginning/ending balances to verify that the interest deduction you claimed is accurate. If you're in a bind, you could try compiling your January and December statements from your lender (not your bank) which should show the beginning and ending balances for the year, along with any statement that clearly shows your interest rate. Include a cover letter explaining that this is the closest documentation your lender provides to what was requested. Sometimes the IRS will accept this alternative documentation, especially if you make a good-faith effort to provide what they need.

Wouldn't the IRS still want official documents from the lender though? I can't imagine they'd accept a spreadsheet I made myself as proof of anything.

That's such a good point. In my case, the scammer only filed federal but not state (probably because my state has extra verification steps). How did you find out about the fraudulent state return? Did you get a separate rejection?

I actually didn't get a rejection for my state return initially because I filed my federal first and was dealing with that mess before I got around to filing state. I called my state tax agency as a precaution and they told me a return had already been filed with my SSN about two weeks earlier. The state tax agency ended up being much easier to work with than the IRS - they had me fill out their own identity theft affidavit form and submit copies of my ID. It still took about 8 weeks to resolve, but they were much more communicative throughout the process.

Not a stupid question at all! The scammers use your SSN but change the direct deposit information to their own account (or often to prepaid debit cards that are harder to trace). They typically make up income and deduction information to generate a larger refund than you'd actually be entitled to. They're basically betting that they can get the fraudulent refund processed before you file your legitimate return. The IRS processes returns on a first-come-first-served basis without automatically matching W-2s and 1099s until later, which creates this vulnerability.