I have been separated from my ex for the 2010 year and 2011 tax year as well as now. I have three kids and my income is $16k a year. I qualified for a free file due to low income, I e-filed and did direct deposit. I checked the IRS where's my refund and it said it woould be deposited Feb 8th. Now on Feb 8th it said processing and will take up to six weeks. I called and they have no info to disclose. I'm facing a hardship and I was relying on this money to get me by and prevent things like not paing rent/utilites. I now have a tax advocate who when I called I had to explain my hardship and then they said I qualified and will assign one to me. I get this advocate out of Phx, where I am and I send over everything I can think of, lease to show rent, state assistance I had to get due to low income and hardship, recently got approved for a program for phone discount for hardship and low income. I get paid bi-monthly, and it gets garnished and I have another judgement against me as well as over $30k in medical bills for my daughters appendix removal. I even borrowed money from my friend who gave it to me thinking I was getting my refund on Feb 8th, now I owe him. My advocate tells me she can't submit hardship because she doesn't think I am in hardship since I'm not facing eviction??? Thats what I don't want to happen. Also my ex and I have back taxes from his business but its when we filed jointly and he is on a installment plan. She told me that all my refund would have to go to that? How is that fair, I make $250 a week, with 3 kids, have medical issues myself, and my refund will bail out my ex's liability when technically he owes half? How can she not even submit it or try for me, I'm hurting real bad and without this refund I will face all sorts of issues. Last year I had the same issue but my tax advocate got the IRS to release all my refund, and I'm in a worse hardship now then last year. But my advocate doesn't seem like she is willing to do anything? What do I do, if anything? I thought she was supposed to help and let the IRS judge if I'm in hardship. Any help would be so much appreciated. I'm in a real panic, and I don't know what I will do if she (advocate)doesn't help.