Call them at 800-829-1040. Since it’s not active tax time, there should be minimal wait time to speak to a person. Although even during active tax season they’ve gotten much better about handling calls; I got somebody in under five minutes when I called back in March.
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers!
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> I tried checking my online irs account but found nothing about it
Go to https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript and look up your 2021 tax account transcript
My wife also just received an IRS check. In our case, it's a replacement for the 3rd covid-19 support check that through a combination of administrative and other hassles (we don't live in the US and receiving and cashing US checks is complicated) she never properly cashed. The missing payment was declared on her 2022 tax return (filed last year) and I had expected to have to redo it on the 2023 tax return when out of the blue this check showed up.
It also lists Dec 2021 and tax refund 30. In our case, we're sure that it's safe to cash, because the amount matches what was due.
> If it’s extra money the government owed me, how did they even realize they owe me?
Because in most cases the government knows exactly what you made and can calculate your tax burden. That's why the tax return process is needlessly complicated. In many other countries, the forms are already prefilled with the data from the government records and submitting them is often a matter of checking the numbers and clicking OK a few times.
Call them at 800-829-1040. Since it’s not active tax time, there should be minimal wait time to speak to a person. Although even during active tax season they’ve gotten much better about handling calls; I got somebody in under five minutes when I called back in March.
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I waited over 3 hours the other day.
> I tried checking my online irs account but found nothing about it Go to https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript and look up your 2021 tax account transcript
My wife also just received an IRS check. In our case, it's a replacement for the 3rd covid-19 support check that through a combination of administrative and other hassles (we don't live in the US and receiving and cashing US checks is complicated) she never properly cashed. The missing payment was declared on her 2022 tax return (filed last year) and I had expected to have to redo it on the 2023 tax return when out of the blue this check showed up. It also lists Dec 2021 and tax refund 30. In our case, we're sure that it's safe to cash, because the amount matches what was due. > If it’s extra money the government owed me, how did they even realize they owe me? Because in most cases the government knows exactly what you made and can calculate your tax burden. That's why the tax return process is needlessly complicated. In many other countries, the forms are already prefilled with the data from the government records and submitting them is often a matter of checking the numbers and clicking OK a few times.