With the recent talk of raising the first-time homebuyer credit, one important question is still open: why are the current checks taking so long to go through? No one expects the tax credit to be instantaneous, and of course the IRS will need to validate each claim. But reports of delayed tax credits are pouring in — and when the tax credit is a key part of financing a new home, this has people nervous.
- One online commenter complained of a 12-week wait for the check, which hadn’t arrived yet.
- Other commenters are asking when the check will arrive — the answers indicate that it takes ten to twelve weeks, but there’s lots of confusion nonetheless.
- Other estimates for how long the credit takes imply a wait of 12-16 weeks.
- Some people are even less lucky. One of them had to wait fourteen weeks — to find out that he needed to send the IRS more information.
Some people are in no mood to wait for the check. Several states have found a way around this: HUD is starting to lend people money backed by the tax credits, for certain mortgages. And several states have taken matters into their own hands: here is a list of states that lend new homeowners money to tide them over until the tax credit arrives. For many new home buyers, this can be a good way to stay afloat, but in most cases, it’s best not to rely on that tax credit as the only way to close a new home purchase.
My husband and I purchased a house in April 2009, filed to get our credit with our ’09 taxes in Feb of this year. A month or so goes by they ask for more stuff, so we fax AND mail in drivers license, HUD, mortgage statement, and a bank statement (they only asked for 2 things we sent 4 off the list) another 2 months goes by, we get this 12 page letter denying us, we call and call and call no one can help up, then this summer, around June they need ANOTHER verification so I faxed in a pay stub, we are declined AGAIN so we call and call and then we are told that the IRS thinks we are renting our home out….we keep saying no, we finally figure out in late August that since my husband filed an extension for his ’08 taxes it showed that his current address when he filed was our new home so we had to go get our lease agreement AND a canceled check to show we lived there until April of ’09. They received it via fax and overnight on Sept 8, told us we would know something by Oct 8. Of course we don’t so I call back and nothing, then we get an apology letter saying we will know something by Oct 18th, of course we dont hear anything so I call the Taxpayers Advocate, they set up a case # and we should hear back within 7 business days. We dont hear anything (she said she called but who knows) so I call them and talk to the person handling out stuff (meanwhile we have gotten another letter from the IRS saying “oh you have recently received your home buyers credit….no we havent!) she wants us to fax in our lease so she can send in an override – this was October 28th. I have heard nothing from her, so I called the IRS on Nov 1, and the girl I talkd to said our case was JUST assigned and to call back in 3 weeks….this has been a nightmare to deal with and when the IRS tells me they know how I feel well I think its a complete lie, just like everything else they have told us.
We got a house built in 2009 and moved in October 2, 2009. We filed our 2009 taxes february 20,2010. We had to send in our amendment around march 2010. Its now October 2010 and nothing. I faxed so many documents that they could not ask for more information. I faxed my homestead, driver license, HUD, bank statements, entergy bill, Certificate of Occupancy, water bill, fingerhut mail, UPS and Fed X deliver packages, DirecTV bills, the whole kitchen sink..etc.. I get a letter saying in 30 days u will hear a reply, 30 days have passed i get another letter saying they are sorry its taking so long to review due to large returns. So that letter said we should hear something within another 30 days. i called so many times the reps has left a note to the other reps that says he called yesterday. All i can do is laugh at this…It really makes me wonder..I am a United States citizen, borned and raised here and it takes the IRS over 1 year and counting to see if I am actually who I say i am…Then u get someone who is not from the United States that move here and has bad intentions it will take the IRS over 2 years to decide who that person is? Thats scary to know
My wife and I closed on our home late March 2009. Shooting from the hip, I am pretty sure we are in or around our 22nd week, I am losing count now. Still no check, no letter… nothing.
The only information we have been able to obtain was by taking the initiative to put in numerous time consuming calls to the IRS.
Each time is a groundhogs day type experience; where we receive the same canned response. In which they verify that they have our return and it is being processed. They then proceed to advise us to call back in three weeks “if we have not heard anything.” Then we start the wait and call process all over again.
This is whole situation is totally ridiculous.
My fiance and I are on our 21st wk. We have called several times and got the same answer every time, “it is being processed”. So, finally my fiance got a nice man from the IRS on the phone and he informed us it hasn’t been touched. So, my assumption “being processed” to the IRS really means “it’s here collecting dust”. So, they only had until August 30th to mail us something and let us know what was going on with our return. Nothing. So we called and they sent a “referral” for it to be looked out…and said that if they did not contact us within 30 days to call back..so today 18 days AFTER they exhausted their 16 week limit, we get a letter in the mail saying that our return has been received by the “examination dept” and they will be contacting us! I am so frustrated and confused! We have never owned a house and we are low income…so does anyone know why it would be sent to the examination dept?
I filed my takes in Feb of this year I ham still waiting first it was the Hud one the needed., then after that , then a letter telling me I didn’t qualify and to appeal if I thought otherwise, then I appealed then they needed my amendment which didn’t even apply because I filed everything at once then I called and they told me it would take up to 8 weeks for a response then and now they’re auditing me. I’ve been a single father for four years , recently married and we bought this house partially becuase of the incentive of the home buyers tax credit. Now they’ve jus tsent me an audit form questioning if I am the Head of Household!!!! By the time I get this credit it will be time to file again, it’s been seven months! Is anyone else waiting this long?