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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 ā 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!
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- 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 :)
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Ava Johnson
The real IRS never threatens arrests or demands immediate payment over the phone. They always send multiple written notices first. If you want to be extra safe, here's what I did when I got similar calls: 1. Didn't respond to the callback number 2. Independently looked up the IRS customer service number 3. Called and verified I had no issues (after waiting on hold forever) 4. Added my number to the Do Not Call registry (doesn't stop all scammers but helps) 5. Blocked the scam numbers on my phone The worst part is these scammers specifically target elderly people and immigrants who might be more fearful of government authorities.
Miguel Diaz
ā¢Do you remember what the official IRS number is? I got one of these calls yesterday and now I'm paranoid even though I'm 99% sure it's a scam.
Ava Johnson
ā¢The general IRS customer service number is 800-829-1040. When you call, be prepared for a long wait time, and have your tax return handy as they'll ask verification questions to confirm your identity. I recommend calling early in the morning right when they open or later in the evening before they close as those tend to have shorter wait times. You can also try calling mid-week as Mondays and Fridays are typically their busiest days.
Zainab Ahmed
Has anyone actually fallen for these scams? My grandmother almost sent them $4,000 in gift cards because they said she'd be arrested if she didn't pay immediately. The scary part was they had her actual name and the last 4 digits of her SSN (probably from some data breach). They kept her on the phone for hours so she couldn't call anyone else to verify.
Connor Byrne
ā¢Yes, these scams are successful enough that they keep doing them. My coworker's father lost $12,000 to an IRS scammer last year. They told him he had outstanding tax bills and would be arrested at work the next day if he didn't pay. They kept him on the phone for 5 hours while he went to different stores buying gift cards. He was too embarrassed to tell anyone until weeks later.
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Donna Cline
The same thing happened to me when I worked at Domino's! The franchise was sold mid-year to a completely different owner. Check your husband's pay stubs throughout the year - you might notice the company name changed slightly at some point. Also, double-check that the combined income from both W2s matches what you'd expect for the full year's earnings. Sometimes during ownership transitions, there can be accounting issues where a week or two of pay gets missed.
I never thought to check his paystubs! I'll have him dig those up tonight. Do you remember if your tax withholding was affected when the ownership changed? That's the part that seems strange to me - one W2 has withholding and one doesn't.
Donna Cline
ā¢Yes, the withholding situation definitely changed when ownership switched. The first owner withheld taxes properly, but the new owner classified me as an independent contractor for the first month before fixing it. That meant one W2 had normal withholding while the other had almost none. The paystubs should show exactly when the change happened. If you notice one of the employers wasn't withholding properly, you might owe more at tax time than you expected. It's better to find out now rather than get surprised with a tax bill!
Make sure you also check if one of the W2s shows any tips! Sometimes when delivery places change ownership, they handle tip reporting differently. One might include reported tips in Box 1 while the other might have them broken out separately in Box 8.
This is super important! When I delivered for Pizza Hut, one owner reported credit card tips on the W2 while the next owner made us report our own cash AND credit tips. Made my tax situation confusing.
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One thing no one has mentioned yet - make sure you're calculating your mom's cost basis correctly! The original purchase price is just the starting point. You can add the cost of capital improvements made over the years she owned the home (new roof, remodeling, additions, etc.). This can significantly reduce the taxable gain even before applying the $250k exclusion. My parents kept receipts for major improvements and it added about $85k to their basis when they sold their home last year. Unfortunately, normal repairs and maintenance don't count - has to be improvements that add value.
Yara Haddad
ā¢That's really helpful! I know she did a kitchen renovation about 10 years ago and replaced all the windows. I'll have to see if she kept the receipts. Does TurboTax have a specific section for entering these improvements or do you just add them to the original purchase price?
Yes, TurboTax does have a specific section for this. After you enter the original purchase price, it should ask if you made any improvements to the home. There will be a place to itemize and enter each major improvement separately. If she doesn't have all the receipts, reasonable estimates are generally acceptable - just be prepared to justify them if ever questioned. Make sure to only include capital improvements (things that add value, prolong the home's useful life, or adapt it to new uses) - not repairs or maintenance. So the kitchen renovation and window replacement definitely count, but something like painting or fixing a leaky faucet wouldn't.
Malik Davis
We went through this exact situation with my mother-in-law last year. Don't forget to consider state taxes too! The federal $250k exclusion is great, but some states have different rules for capital gains on real estate. What state does your mom live in? That could make a significant difference in the total tax bill.
This is so important! I'm in California and got hit with state capital gains even after applying the federal exclusion. Totally wasn't expecting that extra 9.3% tax on the gain that exceeded the federal exclusion.
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One important thing nobody mentioned yet - if you DO make the election to treat your non-resident spouse as a resident for the full year, remember that FBAR filing requirements will apply to her too! That means if she had over $10,000 in foreign accounts at any point during the year, you'll need to report all those accounts. This caught me and my wife by surprise last year. We made the election but didn't realize we needed to report her overseas accounts, and got a nasty letter from FinCEN about it.
Zara Malik
ā¢Oh wow, I hadn't even thought about the FBAR requirements! Do you know if there's a specific form for that or is it part of the regular tax filing?
The FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report) is actually filed separately from your tax return. It's officially called FinCEN Form 114 and must be filed electronically through the BSA E-Filing System. It's not part of your regular tax filing with the IRS. The deadline is technically April 15, but there's an automatic extension to October 15 if you miss the April deadline. The penalties for not filing can be pretty severe - starting at $10,000 for non-willful violations - so definitely make sure you file if your wife's foreign accounts exceeded $10,000 at any point during the year.
Another option nobody mentioned - you could file as "Married Filing Separately" this year and then switch to "Married Filing Jointly" next year when she's been here longer. Sometimes that actually works out better financially depending on your specific situation and her foreign income.
Jamal Carter
ā¢But don't you lose a bunch of tax benefits if you file separately? Like I think you can't claim education credits and some other stuff.
Nalani Liu
One important thing to know - if you sell your car to a dealership rather than private party, they may issue you a 1099 form if the amount is over $600. This doesn't change the tax situation (you still only pay tax if you sold for a profit), but it means the IRS is automatically notified of the transaction. So don't panic if you get a 1099 - you just need to properly report it on your return and show your original basis (purchase price) to demonstrate there was no taxable gain.
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Axel Bourke
ā¢Is this a new rule? I sold a car to a dealer last year for $15k and never got any 1099 form from them.
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Aidan Percy
Everyone is focusing on federal taxes, but don't forget about state taxes! Some states have different rules about vehicle sales. For example, in Massachusetts where I live, if you sell a vehicle for more than $1000, you need to report it on your state tax return using Schedule D. You probably still won't owe taxes unless you sold at a profit, but you might need to file additional paperwork depending on your state.
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Fernanda Marquez
ā¢Also don't forget about sales tax for the buyer! In most states, the BUYER has to pay sales tax when they register the vehicle, but a few states require the seller to collect and remit sales tax. Make sure you know your state's rules!
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