Didn't receive FICA refund for 2 tax years...
u/domofenokr/taxMay 9, 2026
I got 2025's refund back, but didn’t get 2024's one yet. I don’t know what went wrong.
Answered August 2026
If you mailed Form 843, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 now because the IRS publishes no fixed FICA-claim processing time and its online return tracker is not described as a Form 843 tracker.
“I applied for a FICA tax refund 6 months ago and haven't received it yet. How long does the IRS usually take to process these, and how can I check the status?”
Summary
A six-month wait does not by itself mean your claim was denied. It is long enough to act now: the IRS recognizes six months as the point when a refund claimant may go to court if the agency has not decided the claim.
Your status route depends on what you actually submitted six months ago.
You mailed Form 843call now
This is the usual IRS claim route when an employer will not refund FICA withheld in error. Because the IRS tracker is described in terms of a tax return and does not list , call the IRS individual line at 800-829-1040 for the claim status.
You claimed a return credittrack online
If multiple employers together withheld Social Security tax above the annual limit, Publication 519 allows the excess as a credit on your income tax return. Track that return at using your SSN or ITIN, filing status, tax year, and exact refund amount.
You only asked your employernot at IRS
An employer request by itself is not an IRS claim to track. IRS Publication 519 says to ask the employer first; if you cannot get the full refund, file with the required support.
If the IRS has taken no action for six months, Publication 556 says a refund suit becomes legally available, but a phone inquiry and possible TAS escalation are the practical first steps.
Read the full explanationHide the full explanation
Watch out for
No published processing promiseThe official IRS materials fetched do not give a normal completion time for a stand-alone FICA claim. Six months is nevertheless a meaningful point: IRS Publication 556 says you may file a refund suit once the IRS has not acted for six months, so you should escalate the status inquiry now rather than keep waiting without contact.
The online tracker may be the wrong toolThe IRS describes as tracking a return through Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent; it does not list stand-alone Form 843 claims. If you mailed Form 843, use the IRS individual phone line instead of treating an empty tracker result as a denial.
One employer and several employers use different routesIf one employer wrongly withheld or over-withheld Social Security or Medicare tax and will not correct it, the IRS route is Form 843. If several employers together withheld Social Security tax above the annual limit, IRS Publication 519 says to claim the credit on your income tax return; if any one employer alone withheld too much, ask that employer first and use Form 843 if it will not refund the excess.
A denial starts a court deadlineIf the IRS mails a , Publication 556 says the usual deadline to file a refund suit is two years from that mailing date. Court is optional and is not the ordinary status-check route, but do not ignore that notice or its date.
Next steps
These steps identify where your claim sits, use the correct tracker, and escalate the six-month delay in the right order.
First
Identify what you submitted
If your copy shows (often with Form 8316 for an eligible F, J, or M nonresident), follow the phone step. If the amount appears as excess Social Security tax on Form 1040 or 1040-NR, follow the online-tracker step. If you only asked your employer, there is not yet an IRS claim to track; Publication 519 says to file Form 843 if the employer will not provide the full refund.
Requirements
A copy of the packet or tax return you sent
The filing or mailing date
Any IRS letters or notices
Mailing or delivery proof, if you kept it
At six months
Call the IRS about a mailed Form 843
Call 800-829-1040 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Ask whether the Form 843 claim is recorded, whether the IRS sent any correspondence, and whether the claim needs additional information. For Spanish, use 800-829-1040; for other languages, call 833-553-9895 for interpreter assistance.
Requirements
SSN and birth date, or ITIN if you do not have an SSN
Filing status
Prior-year tax return
The return or Form 843 claim you are calling about
Any IRS correspondence
Only if the refund was on Form 1040 or 1040-NR
Track a refund claimed on your tax return
Use the official page at https://www.irs.gov/refunds. The IRS says status is normally available within 24 hours after a current-year e-filed return, 3 or 4 days after a prior-year e-filed return, or 4 weeks after a paper return.
Requirements
SSN or ITIN
Filing status
Tax year
Exact whole-dollar expected refund amount
If the IRS call does not resolve it
Escalate to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
Call the at 1-877-777-4778. Form 911 says TAS may assist when the tax problem causes financial difficulty, normal IRS attempts have failed, or an IRS process is not working; it also asks for the first-contact date when the issue involves an IRS delay of more than 30 days. You may submit Form 911 using the official instructions at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f911.pdf.
Requirements
Date you filed the claim
Date and result of your IRS status call
Evidence of financial difficulty, if that is your reason
Form 911 if you submit a written request
Others who faced this
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
FICA tax refund - is there any other way?
u/Difficult_Pin_3398r/taxNov 4, 2025
I used this company to get it done they don't charge upfront and take commission when refunded, took about 3-4 months
Legal sources
The answer is based on IRS Publications 519 and 556, IRS refund and telephone guidance, Form 911, and official Taxpayer Advocate Service instructions.
IRS Publication 519 (2025)
This establishes the employer-first rule and when a worker may file Form 843 with the IRS.
IRS Publication 519 (2025)
Social Security and Medicare Tax Withheld in Error
If social security or Medicare tax was withheld in error from pay that is not subject to these taxes, contact the employer who withheld the taxes for a refund. If you are unable to get a full refund of the amount from your employer, file a claim for refund with the IRS on Form 843.
IRS Publication 519 (2025)
This distinguishes the income-tax-return credit for combined withholding by several employers from over-withholding by one employer.
IRS Publication 519 (2025)
Excess Social Security Tax
You can claim a credit for excess social security tax on your income tax return if you have more than one employer and the amount deducted from your combined wages for 2025 is more than $10,918.20. If any one employer deducted more than $10,918.20, you cannot claim a credit for that amount. Ask your employer to refund the excess. If your employer does not refund the excess, you can file a claim for refund using Form 843.
IRS Where’s My Refund guidance
This shows that the online tracker is framed around processing and approving a tax return, not a stand-alone Form 843 claim.
IRS Where’s My Refund guidance
Where’s My Refund? will give you a personalized refund date after we process your return and approve your refund.
IRS telephone assistance
This gives the IRS individual-assistance number and daily hours; the same page states the help lines operate Monday through Friday.
IRS telephone assistance
Telephone assistance — Individuals
800-829-1040 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time
IRS telephone assistance
This lists the identity and tax records to have ready for the IRS status call.
IRS telephone assistance
Before you call
Have the following ready when you call: Social Security numbers (SSN) and birth dates Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if you don’t have a Social Security number Filing status – single, head of household, married filing jointly, married filing separately or qualifying surviving spouse Prior-year tax return Tax return you’re calling about Any correspondence we sent to you
Form 911 (Rev. 6-2026)
This states when TAS may assist after ordinary IRS channels have not solved the problem.
Form 911 (Rev. 6-2026)
Form 911 instructions
TAS may be able to assist you if your federal tax problem is causing a financial difficulty, you have tried and been unable to resolve your issue with the IRS, or if an IRS system, process, or procedure is not working as it should.
Taxpayer Advocate Service contact guidance
This is the official TAS toll-free escalation number.
Taxpayer Advocate Service contact guidance
When you call the TAS toll-free number, 1-877-777-4778, you will be connected with an advocate who is your first point of contact with the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
IRS Publication 556
This explains the six-month no-action point and the usual two-year deadline after the IRS rejects a refund claim.
IRS Publication 556
Claims for Refund
If the IRS does not act on your claim within 6 months from the date you filed it, you can then file suit for a refund. You generally must file suit for a credit or refund no later than 2 years after the IRS informs you that your claim has been rejected.
These are the official IRS and Taxpayer Advocate Service rules as published or updated on the cited dates; rules and contact procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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