No Thanks, I.R.S.!

I am recommending for everyone to get their 2025 return filed by the extended deadline in mid-October. This is a solid move regardless of any unfiled returns you may have to take care of from past years. Briefly, here is why: 1. 2025 is the current tax year for which IRS is accepting and processing returns. The IRS prioritizes current year in their processing of returns and they put older tax year returns on the back-burner. Older tax year returns for my clients are often taking six months or even a year for the IRS to complete processing. So by filing 2025 first, we can at least make sure you do not fall another year behind on your returns. 2. IRS will likely give less scrutiny to your 2025 return because “everyone else” is filing for that same year. So filing for 2025 gives us the best chance of a smooth and relatively quick successful outcome of your 2025 tax matters. 3. As previously mentioned, W-2 employees become vulnerable to a “lock-in letter” being sent to employers to block the employee from claiming “exempt” on W-4. If you’re already behind on filing for 2024, then simply getting 2025 filed first will keep you off the “lock-in letter” radar until at least October 2028 (provided your 2025 return establishes a $0 tax liability). This is because missing two years of return filing deadlines in a row is a “trigger” for an IRS “lock-in letter”. A lock-in letter is not easy to get removed once it is in place. It is far far easier to prevent such letters from being issued in the first place.

Alert for anyone who works as a W-2 employee and is claiming “exempt” on W-4 (or anyone who would like to to do so— since minimizing income tax withholding to the maximum extent legally possible is a HUGE advantage in a successful overall “opting out of income tax lawfully” strategy): Make sure that at least your 2024 and 2025 tax year returns are filed by the end of August 2026. That is the best way to prevent the IRS from issuing a “lock-in letter” to your employer, in which IRS “instructs” your employer(s) to disregard your W-4 and withhold income tax at the maximum rate. If you already have a lock-in letter, it is recommended that you get your 2025 tax year return filed ASAP, then get 2023 and 2024 filed ASAP after that. Contact NoThanksIRS@protonmail.com to get started.

For those in groups 1-2 seeking release of (or prevention of) an IRS “lock-in” on wage withholding: The quickest way to positively establish with IRS that you are legally entitled to claim exempt from wage withholding in 2026 is to establish with IRS that your 2025 income tax liability is $0. Assuming that is legally possible with the facts of your particular case, the suggested action is that we get your 2025 federal tax return filed ASAP. Once $0 tax liability is established in IRS records (hopefully within a few weeks) we can at that point lobby the IRS for release of your lock-in solely on that legal basis. As a practical matter, it may be necessary to also get all other years of unfiled returns filed to secure IRS release of your lock-in, but 2025 tax year is the most sensible tax year to start with, since a $0 tax liability in the previous year alone gives you sufficient basis to claim exemption from wage withholding in the current year. Please contact me ASAP with your 2025 evaluation request and documents if you are in one of the aforementioned groups seeking release of lock-in or seeking to prevent a lock-in by securing your legal right to claim exempt in 2026.

Hello everyone! With April deadlines now passed, I’m resuming “Project 2026” to get everyone current on federal income tax returns through 2025 tax year ASAP with the expectation to reach that goal by the end of 2025. 1. Top priority is to secure release of “lock-ins” on withholding and to handle any federal or state issues where a tax has already been assessed or where an audit is already underway. 2. Next highest priority is PREVENTING an IRS “lock-in letter” for those who are W-2 employees and who are claiming exempt from withholding (OR who would LIKE to do so in 2026). 3. The next highest priority is anyone not included in the first two groups who has received IRS Notice LT26, CP518, or CP59 (that is in descending order of urgency) or any notice to the effect of “you need to get your returns filed”.

A lot of folks are contacting me regarding the filing deadline for 2022 refund claims. I will address this here to save time/effort. While the IRS in their press releases and publications may say “April 15” this is just a generic date they put in there,…

A lot of folks are contacting me regarding the filing deadline for 2022 refund claims. I will address this here to save time/effort. While the IRS in their press releases and publications may say “April 15” this is just a generic date they put in there, the actual date is according to statute and cannot be altered by the IRS. By statute, the final deadline for claiming a refund is three years from the original due date of the return. In this case, the filing deadline for 2022 returns was April 18, 2023. That means the final deadline for claiming a refund for 2022 tax year falls on April 18,2026. That falls on a Saturday, which I previously had assumed would push the final date to the next business day. In court filings on ever level, this is how it works. But for these purposes, that does not appear to be the case. The deadline is certainly no earlier than April 18, 2026. I will not be taking any risks of having a claim disallowed as untimely, so all 2022 refund claims I am assisting with will be filed no later than April 18, 2026. I don’t foresee any issue with getting most if not all claims postmarked well before that deadline. We certainly don’t want to give IRS personnel any excuse to slow down processing of refund claims with spurious contentions of those claims being “untimely”.

For those not aware, I’ve had a medical issue since last June with my right eye, a painful rupture in my cornea that was supposed to require surgery (I was told in October 2025 that it was getting worse and that surgery was needed within a few months). The surgery got delayed and in February 2026, the doctor found that the rupture in my cornea was now closed, and he canceled the surgery (this is considered a medical miracle that the doctor is submitting to medical journal(s) for publication.) The time during this health crisis has been a great spiritual journey. For much more about my personal journey over the past 5 months, please join: https://t.me/+FUt0m62Ti0wyOGZh I will discuss personal and spiritual aspects of this journey over there. The good news is that as of February 2026 the doctors determined I did not need to risk eye surgery. The downside is that the healing process is ongoing, the layer of my cornea is still very thin, so I still have eye sensitivity, lots of weeping and tearing of the eye, some difficulty with vision and occasional swelling along with frequent fatigue and difficulty concentrating, so I do have to put some limits on my workload and screen time. I have used the time away the past few months to contemplate what is truly important. For me that is primarily being an ambassador of God, sharing the good news of God’s ultimate plan to reconcile all mankind to Him and to ultimately reconcile all Creation to Himself through Christ. That plan is clearly stated in the Bible, particularly in the teachings of the Apostle Paul. For more about that, please join my channel on that topic: https://t.me/+FUt0m62Ti0wyOGZh Also please join the discussion forum connected with that channel at: https://t.me/+jmqWKE9AyOkzZTFh The primary emphasis on this No Thanks IRS channel will remain lawfully mitigating federal and state income taxes to the greatest degree practicable.

Generally, FYI: After 2022 refund claims are filed (by April 20) I am planning to resume “project 2026 (formerly known as project 2025) to get as many people as possible at least somewhat “current” on their federal tax returns (through at least 2024 tax year) as soon as possible, but shooting for the end of 2026 (reaching this goal depends on the number of people still needing to file for previous years.) As always, cases involving adverse action by the tax agency will be prioritized ahead of cases with threatened adverse action or cases with no threat of adverse action.

April 20, 2026 is the final date for postmarking a federal income tax refund claim for tax year 2022. If you: 1. Have not already filed a 2022 federal income tax return AND 2. You have federal income tax withheld or estimated payments made Contact me ASAP for assistance with claiming those refunds. NoThanksIRS@protonmail.com And no, this is not an “April Fool’s” Even if you have previously contacted me regarding 2022 tax year, contact me again via NoThanksIRS@protonmail.com so I know for certain that you have not already filed your 2022 federal return. Do not make inquiries regarding your personal tax matters on this discussion forum. No one else on the forum cares about your personal tax matters. The discussion forum is only for income tax related topics that generally concern everyone. I will not respond to such inquiries on this forum.

Hey Dave, are you still around? Would love to hear from you. Sorry for being gone so long. All the best to you my friend, I hope all is well with you and yours.

https://x.com/watcherguru/status/1975988745846526234?s=52&t=G4VytrVUil4nvCXiBMYlLw

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/irs-shutdown-plan-keeps-employees-working-days-after-funding-lapse/?readmore=1

https://t.me/+FUt0m62Ti0wyOGZh

https://x.com/ericldaugh/status/1963274029009400223?s=52&t=G4VytrVUil4nvCXiBMYlLw

https://x.com/crrja5/status/1959457646102130920?s=52&t=G4VytrVUil4nvCXiBMYlLw

The White House-mandated end to paper refund checks likely will be delayed. A March executive order mandates that Treasury get rid of paper checks for recipients of benefits, tax refunds and the like after Sept. 30. Federal agencies would instead use electronic fund transfers, prepaid card accounts, direct deposit, etc. Many tax experts believe Treasury won’t be able to meet the Sept. 30 deadline.

looks like the calendar flipped into May 2025 receipts today.

The next NoThanks, IRS related case to potentially be brought to the SCOTUS has recently taken another step in that direction. In Firestenberg v. Oregon, DOR the Oregon Tax Court (Magistrate Division) on July 24,2025 upheld the Department of Revenue’s adjustment…