How Long to Get My Tax Refund & Why Is It Taking So Long? IRS Updates and News

When it comes to tax season I receive a lot of reader questions, many tinged with a hint of desperation, around why IRS tax refunds are taking so long to be processed and what can be done to get their money sooner rather than later.

This was no different in the latest tax season where a number of folks have commented on the extended delays they are seeing with the processing of their tax returns and payment of long overdue refunds. Despite PATH limitations now having lifted, many filers are still stuck in IRS refund processing limbo.

In fact the IRS had already announced that there will likely be longer than usual tax refund payment delays due to processing/validation of past year and amended returns, staffing/budget constraints and the ongoing payment and reconciliation of past stimulus payments and tax credits.

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Those who filed paper based or amended returns, will likely face even longer delays in getting any refunds and will likely see the “Return Processing Has Been Delayed Beyond The Normal Timeframe” WMR message for extended periods and ongoing notices from the IRS around additional 60 day review periods.

For returns that require special handling or manual processing the IRS has said that due to staffing shortages it is taking up to 120 days to complete processing and notify taxpayers of adjustments or adjudications.

Reasons why your IRS refund may be delayed

  • Additional identity or random security checks – especially if fraudulent activities were associated with your filing in the past that means your return gets flagged for further reviews
  • Amended returns require additional, and manual processing, which can see refunds delayed for up to 20 weeks
  • Missing or incomplete documentation or information in your return. This is why you should e-file with leading tax software as most online tax filing software checks for this, which is why manually filed returns are more at risk
  • Incorrect bank details or account numbers provided in your return (see below for how to address)
  • If you are using a pre-paid card for the first time and were using a middleman bank (SBBT, Republic, Bofi, etc), some people have had their refund not deposited because the middleman bank does not test deposits to ensure the account is active and correct
  • Refund claims with an application for an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) attached (see Topic 857 for more information on this)
  • Refund offset (Tax Topic 203) which reduces your payment due to other federal or state obligations. See section below for more on this.
  • If you requested a refund of tax withheld on a Form 1042-S (PDF) by filing a Form 1040NR (PDF), allow up to 6 months from the original due date of the 1040NR return or the date you actually filed the 1040NR, whichever is later, to receive any refund due (see more details in tax topic 152)
  • PATH act delays because you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This constraint was/is normally lifted in mid-February,
  • Manual reviews or corrections are needed to the earned-income tax credit and the pandemic-related stimulus payments (refundable tax credits) claimed in your tax return. You will see this as code 570/971 on your tax transcript.

As always keeping checking the IRS’ Where is My Refund Apps (WMR and IRS2GO) for exact dates on your refund payment.

You can start checking on the status of your refund within 24 hours after the IRS receives your e-filed return or 4 weeks after you mail a paper return.

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The WMR apps displays your tax return processing through three stages: Return Received; Refund Approved; Refund Sent. You can see more on refunds and delayed payments in these videos covering this topic

So what can you do if your tax refund is taking much longer to get than expected?

There are two main categories that cause your tax refund processing to taking longer than expected. Either something is wrong with your tax return filing, e.g. missing information, additional identity fraud/verification, incorrect social security numbers etc; or income information from related sources (employer, ex-partner, IRS notices) do not add up.

For example same dependent claimed in multiple tax returns. So here are a few things you can do to try and figure out why your tax refund is so taking so long to get to you.

  • Check the IRS tax tool, where’s my refund (WMR) or IRS2Go mobile app, to get the official status of your refund (see estimated IRS refund schedule). It is updated daily (overnight) and provides the latest processing status of your tax refund.

    The IRS has announced that it expects to issue more than 90% of refunds to taxpayers in less than 21 days (not business days). So even if you have submitted all your documents you probably need to wait for at least 21 days before taking on more drastic actions.

    And if you paper filed, you may need to wait more than 6 weeks before hearing back from the IRS.

IRS bars offical - Where is My Refund (WMR) Return Received, Refund Approved and Refund Sent
Tax Status and Refund Delays
  • Why is my e-filed tax return in “Pending” status and the IRS has no record of my tax return? TurboTax experts say that after e-filing, your federal return may sit in “Pending” status 24-48 hours before its processing status changes.

    If you contact the IRS or try to look up your return or refund status on their site while your return is in “Pending” status, don’t be alarmed if they tell you they have no record of your return.

    This is normal; once the IRS acknowledges your return, they will update your status to via WMR to Return Received, Refund Approved and Refund Sent. See this article for more details on what the WMR refund status’ mean.

  • What do these IRS refund status’ mean? Return Received means the IRS has your tax return and is processing/reviewing it. Your estimated refund date will be available as soon as the IRS finishes processing your return and confirm that your refund has been approved. Generally it takes just a few days for the status to shift from Return Received to Refund Approved if all is in order.

    But any issues with processing your return will delay things and a refund date will not be provided until your refund has been approved.

    In some cases the refund tracker graphic (shown here) will not be shown if your return is being reviewed prior to step two: “Refund Approved,” and instead an explanation or instructions will be provided by the IRS depending on the situation.

    This can happen even if you previously checked Where’s My Refund? and it showed the status as “Return Received” along with the tracker. If the IRS needs more information specific to your return, they will contact you by mail (be aware of IRS imitation scams). You should follow the instructions in the IRS letter as soon as possible to prevent further delays with receiving your return.

  • Review your tax return and make sure there no obvious mistakes like missing names/SSN or forgetting to sign your tax return. According to the IRS, one of the main things causing people to experience delays in getting their refunds is returns that are not accurately completed. So to ensure you get your refund ensure your return is as accurate as possible.

    You can resubmit an amended tax return entering the changes and explaining why you need to amend your original tax return. You don’t have to redo your entire return, either. Just show the necessary changes and adjust your tax liability accordingly.

    You usually do not need to file an amended return because you forgot to include tax forms such as W-2s or 1099 forms. The IRS normally will send a separate request asking for those documents.

  • Get online help from various articles on people seeing delays with their refunds. On one of my articles covering the IRS refund schedule I got 6000+ comments, with the following useful real life tips you won’t find elsewhere:

  • If you claim certain credits like the Earned Income Credit or Education credits in your tax return, the IRS announced that refunds these returns generate may take longer (under PATH act). So expect your refund to take longer in this case – possibly into April, even if you filed early.

  • Hire an accountant or tax services firm to follow up this issue on your behalf particularly if you have a tax obligation to the IRS. But be warned, these are not the cheapest options and if you refund is less than $1,000 it may not be worth the cost.

  • Calling the IRS is an option, though getting through to someone is a challenge. You can go the IRS resources page to get the latest contact IRS numbers/locations. Here is a way to get a real IRS person:
    • Dial 800-829-1040 – if they say they have high volume calls hang up, you’re wasting your time, call again until it doesn’t say high volume.
    • Then dial 1- for English or 2 for Spanish.
    • Then listen to the options and dial 2 then 1 then 4, then 2 again, until it finally asks for your social… they will try to trick you after that, but don’t dial anything it will take you to an operator. it’s a process but you’ll get to someone as long as you DO NOT say you have questions about your refund, cause then it will tell you to go online. make sure your cell is charge when you call cause you can wait up till an hour. Good luck people, and hope we all get our refund. Heck, we worked for it!!! =)

  • Check with the middleman bank (SBBT, Republic, Bofi, etc) that they received your refund and sent it to your personal account. If filed jointly make sure both names are on your bank account/pre-paid card as this can sometimes cause your refund to be held or rejected.

2022 IRS tax season statistics

The National tax payer advocate services (TAS) released some interesting statistics that confirm the ongoing challenges the IRS is facing in processing returns and paying refunds on time. Especially for paper filed returns. As you can see from the official statistics below, lots of folks are impacting by IRS processing delays.

  • More than 90% of individual income taxpayers e-file their returns (recommended), yet last year, about 17 million taxpayers – about the population of New York – filed their returns on paper because of access or limitations with filing electronically. 
  • It took the IRS on average 251 days (or more than 8 months) to make and respond to proposed adjustments across 5 million affected returns. This is three times pre-pandemic levels.
  • Over 336,000 taxpayers could not file their returns or receive their refunds because identity thieves had already filed a return using their identifying information. It is taking the IRS over 1 year to resolve identity theft cases.
  • While the IRS had reduced the number of suspended returns (those that require manual IRS reviews) to 5.4 million from 15.8 million earlier in the year, it is still taking up to 10 months for manual reviews of paper filed returns.
  • During the 2022 filing season, the IRS received about 73 million telephone calls. However only one out of 10 calls reached a live IRS agent. This is half as much as the prior tax year, despite a lower overall volume. The time the average taxpayer spent waiting on hold rose from 20 minutes to 29 minutes this tax season.

IRS Operations Page

To get the latest update on IRS tax refund processing delays, you can see the IRS operations page which provides information on key functions and causes behind some of the delays when it comes to phone support, paper filed returns and ongoing reviews.

Tax Payer Identify Verification Delaying IRS Tax Refund Processing and Direct Deposit Payments

In a lot of recent cases, it appears that the IRS is delaying refund processing because they are having to spend a lot more time validating tax payer identities given the rise in online tax related fraud over the last few years. In most cases the IRS will notify selected tax filers via WMR or mail (they will never call you) to contact a IRS number to verify their identity. After verification it could take up to 9 weeks for you to get a refund. See more in this article.

Refund Offset – Why Your Refund May be less than expected

Another area of confusion for those expecting a refund is that when they get a refund it is actually less than the amount they were expecting or provided by their tax software provider.

The reason for this is that the federal government has “offset” or deducted monies from your tax refund to cover debts you owe other federal agencies. Under the law, federal payments such as tax refunds can be collected against by approved agencies (e.g the IRS) before being paid to you. 

You will get  a letter from the IRS explaining this offset to your federal refund and why it differs from what was estimated in your filed return. You will generally see a tax topic 203 message or code 898 on your transcript when you have an offset applied to your IRS refund.

They will give you an opportunity to dispute this collection, but you will have to prove you had no federal obligations. If you have questions regarding the offset of your refund you can call the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) on 800-304-3107.

When will I get my paper check if my Direct Deposit is delayed or rejected?

At times people will change their bank accounts after their return is filed or provide incorrect account numbers. In these instances the IRS will issue a paper check when they cannot send by direct deposit.

This will delay your refund, but the actually IRS processing time for a paper check  is only 2 extra days more than direct deposit.

Usually paper checks are mailed on Friday’s and you usually get within 1 week; the following Friday or sooner. The US Postal usually don’t deliver refund checks until Saturday morning to prevent someone watching your mail and stealing the check.

If I can order my IRS tax transcript does it mean I am getting my refund direct deposited soon?

This question used to come up a lot, but is not very relevant since you can request a tax transcript online via your IRS account. The transcript is free and does show processing tax codes related to progress and status of past and current tax returns.

That being said, there is a correlation in reviewing your transcript for current year IRS processing transaction codes. If you see transaction codes (like 846), it means the IRS is or has processed your tax return, and refund where applicable.

But the IRS is very clear that reviewing your transcript does not mean you will imminently be getting a refund and is among the common myths and misconceptions repeated in social media. They still say that checking the WMR website or IRS2Go app is the best and official way to check your refund status.

Tax Topic 151 vs 152 notice

When you log on to the WMR website or IRS2Go mobile app, you may be presented with a message to refer to IRS Tax topic 151 or 152 in relation to your refund. But what do these mean? Tax Topic 151 simply means that you’re getting a tax adjustment due to an offset or IRS proposed adjustment.

You will get an official IRS letter or notice explaining the actual offset and adjustments to your tax return, and details on how to appeal this action – but likely it will delay you getting your refund. While not great news, the silver lining here is that the IRS has processed your return and your adjusted refund (where applicable) should be on its way.

Tax Topic 152 on the other hand means means you’re getting a tax refund in line with IRS processing guidelines (generally within 21 days) and this notice confirm the methods for payment (direct deposit, check).

I know it can be really frustrating to see ongoing delays in getting your tax refund. My answer is be patient, look into the above steps and contact a tax advocate or tax professional if you get nowhere with the IRS.

WMR and IRS2GO Refund Status Error Codes

When you see an error on the WMR and IRS2Go tool you will get an error code and a short description. Sometimes these can tell you the cause (e.g 1161 –  Refund delayed, bankruptcy on account ).

But in many cases this provides no help and in that case you should reference the IRS Refund Error Code list to get more details. You can also see the comments below for more errors people are facing.

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735 thoughts on “How Long to Get My Tax Refund & Why Is It Taking So Long? IRS Updates and News”

  1. I worked in US as J1 student last summer and I mailed my tax return 04/08/16. It´s already been 4 months and I still got nothing. When I wanna check my refund status there´s still written We have received your tax return and it is being processed. It´s been 10 weeks like this! I want to find out what is going on but when I try to call IRS I can´t reach them. Anybody know some e-mail address I could write to? any advice please? Last year I got my refund up to 10 weeks and this year I did it the same way

    Reply
  2. Filed January 18, 2016 through Turbo Tax, requested DD
    Called IRS 2/20/16 due to no DD and was told we needed to verify the dates and legal authority to claim reported dependents.
    February 22, faxed in court documents showing guardianship and legal right to claim, letters from school showing registration dates and current enrollment.
    April 27, called again to be told that supported documentation showed relationship not specific dates proving dependents resided with us. COURT ORDER CLEARLY STATED WE WERE AWARDED THE RIGHT TO CLAIM 2-09-14!!
    How much clearer do they need!? Obtained letters from school with very clear specific dates, matching residential addresses, and noted guardianship. Rent receipts for head of household and lease showing listed residents. Faxed this April 28, 2016.

    Today, July 27, 2016
    Still no refund. Still no change in status. Still no agent willing to speed up process. They claim they have 45 days after each transaction, then supposedly they’re liable for interest at $10 per $1000 owed after 90 days.

    I feel powerless. That’s our money. Why doesn’t the act of accountability balance? If we owed them, would they allow us to take our sweet time and merely pay $10 per $1000 every 3 months?
    NOT

    Reply
    • I called numerous times to follow up on my refund. On one time an agent even said that I was to receive 3% per day elapsed as it was their fault. When I finally received my tax refund it was with an additional $60, after 9 MONHTS LATE. I called and stated that I was informed that they were gonna pay 3% per day on interests and the agent said that I had the wrong information and no actual facts. I have him the name an number of the agent who explained that to me previously and he said there is nothing he can do as thats only “an IRS agent information againsts a tax payers word”. only thing I found online was the article from USA TODAY titled “Tax refund late? The IRS may owe you interest”.

      Reply
    • Please contact a tax advocate. That’s what they do. It’s their job to help get you your money. Google IRS tax advocate. Had to do the same a couple years ago. Got my money back within two weeks of contacting them.

      Reply
      • M Hackett how does that work because I have an tax advocate now and she is really nice I had to fax over my information again to verify that it’s me to my advocate

        Reply
  3. Please stop giving the federal government an interest free loan by overpaying your taxes! Figure out what you think your obligation should be early in the new year and adjust your payments accordingly. Under pay slightly and make sure you save money to meet any shortfall come filing time. If you do over pay then you can apply your overage to the next year’s taxes, and reduce your monthly payments accordingly.

    Reply
  4. Final Update!!!!

    Filed 1/30/2016
    Accepted 1/31/2016
    Faxed 1095, 8962 & Recalculated 1040-A on May 2nd, 2016
    Received TWO different Tax Advocates as of May 5th, 2016
    After healthcare fiasco, and 6 long freaking months and TWO Tax Advocates…finally got a DDD of June 24th…..Jesus it has been horrible!!!! My bars have returned as of today, June 23rd, on the WMR site….thank god!!! Now let’s see if I do get my money!

    Reply
  5. My tax refund was submitted on may 5th and as of june 9th which is today I still haven’t received my tax refund. Does anyone have any explanation on why it’s taking so long?

    Reply
    • I submitted mine on Jan 31st..just received word today (6/10) that is was approved on June 2nd…what a mess this year has been all because of obama-care..if you had their health insurance for even 1 day in 2015, you better hope you submitted the 1095, 8962 and correct calculations on your 1040/ 1040A (whichever you file yearly)…but then again it can be a general delay like I have seen from most people on this forum and this one I tend to read more since there is more issues pple are having since day one, https://savingtoinvest.com/2015-irs-refund-cycle-chart-for-2014-tax-return-filings/

      If its been a back and forth, request a tax advocate, I would wait till at least 8-12 weeks after filing to request one. Again I only got a approved date..not a refund date so that is another waiting game I am sure…such a shame how long its been…

      Reply
      • They claimed i had obama care in letters they sent. Now they’ve confirmed that i DID NOT, admitted i don’t owe anything and still can’t explain why it hasn’t been sent.

        Reply
  6. It’s good to know that I’m not alone with this whole tax return dilemma. I definitely can relate to everybody in this discussion, as I’m having the same problem, since I’m still without a tax return for whatever reason. I’m extremely pissed that not only is my refund late, but the way the IRS has been leaving me hanging, because I cant get any real answers about this whole dilemma and they won’t even take my calls after several attempts, they just keep sending me to main menu forcing me to choose an option or they terminate the call. Using the where’s my refund?option certainly does me no satisfaction. We know our taxes are still being processed, but what’s the hold up? My wife and I didn’t have this problem last year. We got our return in a timely manner. Me and my wife e-filed jointly back in March, at least a month before deadline. We thoroughly provided our information with the help from an expert by using turbo tax. Everything looked good and sufficient, as we were getting a big return from both federal and state. We were sure that we would have our return within a month, but here we are now still no return as of 5/23/16. This is absolutely ridiculous. C’mon now what’s the hold up?

    Reply
  7. My accountant filed 02/12/2016, on 03/12/2016 I received letter saying they needed my Healthcare Marketplace form. I faxed that 03/14/2016. I received another letter 03/22/2016 stating that someone tried to file taxes w/my SSN. Come to find out my job had security breach and over half of employees were affected. I called 03/28/2016 to verify that everything was ok. Per IRS everything was good to go, they had my form and everything. I should have DDD 1ST week of April. I called again 04/07/2016, because of security breach at work and the FBI getting involved, they froze my SSN. I had to do ID verify, which because of the situation I had to go in person. 4+ hours later on 04/12/2016 they verified my ID and said oh it is all good now, you will need to wait ANOTHER 6-8 weeks for processing. REALLY?? I am now on week 3 of waiting, and I was finally able to order tax transcripts and return transcripts. I am hoping it is getting close. This is RIDICULOUS.

    Reply
    • sorry to hear about your issue. the very same thing happened to my husband and I last year. I will say it took 6 months from the time my verification was 100% complete. There are a lot of things that have to be in place including pin codes for the next tax season. its still taking a long time this year…I’m assuming its from the fraud from last year. good luck to you. I hope this helps

      Reply
      • I got it last week but my prepaid debit card tried rejecting it for being to large. It was a nightmare

        Reply
  8. I filed electronically on 2/06/2016. Today is 5/3/2016 and I have not received my refund it has been sitting on processing since 2/07/2016. I have called 1x and they told me that it will be another 4-6 weeks. Well it has been another 6 weeks and still nothing. So i have been trying to call again and can’t get through and when I did the lady hung up on me. I am getting really annoyed. I have a simple return. I am married and work one job, husband works one job, have one child. We don’t own our own business or anything like that. getting really frustrated.

    Reply
  9. I filed electronically on 02/13/16. Confirmed receipt on WMR. A few days later checked WMR and all bars were gone. Called the IRS was told they could not help me until after 21 days. I called again after 21 days, was told it was pulled on 02/22/16 for review and it would take 6 to 8 weeks….this weeks is my 8th week. I had contacted the IRS through out at random times and was told that nothing was wrong with it and it was still being processed wait the 6 to 8 weeks I was told, nothing new was ever told to me. I called the IRS today being that it was been 8 weeks, the representative could not tell me why the hold up, there weren’t any notes that anything was wrong with my refund and could not tell me was it had not been released to me. She suggested I get a hold of a tax advocate. She supposedly told me that she has initiated the paperwork on my behalf and I should be contacted by the advocate within the next 7 business days. She gave me the toll free phone number to advocates and said I could contact them myself if I don’t hear from them within that time frame. I will let you know the updates.

    Reply
    • Wow, My situation is nearly identical to yours. I called the yesterday because it has been 9 weeks. The representative told me almost the exact same thing, that she could not tell me why there was a hold up and that she was sending my case to another department to research whats going on. She also told me that it could take up to an addition 12 weeks to get a response!!!! I am pissed. I don’t know what else to do.

      Reply
  10. Filed electronically 02/13/16. Accepted the same day. Checked WMR and it confirmed that it was received. A few days later the bars were gone and it stated that the refund is being reviewed and still being processed. Called the IRS and they informed me that nothing could be done until 21 days. I called the IRS on 21st day and they said my refund had been pulled for review on 02/22/16 and it would be 6 to 8 weeks from that day, to continue checking WMR for updates. I called the IRS at random times just because the WMR had not updated and they just kept telling me that everything was fine, there was no issues, still being reviewed and had to wait the 6 to 8 weeks. I tried everything, I tried ordering my tax script and have not being able to, I tried calling the ID theft hotline and it said I was not eligible, did it over the phone and online. Today 04/12/16 marks my 8 weeks and I called the IRS this morning and the very nice sweet lady said that there was a delay in processing many refunds and suggested I called the tax advocates and seek their help. She asked if I had a dire need for the refund and I said yes. She said she will inform the tax advocates and I should follow up with a call and have them push my refund. So off I go to call the tax advocate and I will update….worse year ever!

    Reply
    • they most be doing this kind of delay on purpose to get more money out of us i read and know people that went thru a tax advocate and they charge them for their help some charge 100 to 500 and that BS…like really we just want our money back i been waiting since Jan 22 still nothing.

      Reply
        • Thats what i thought too, well my friend. She said when she got her money deposit, 200 were missing she call to find out and they told her it was 200 charge for the tax advocate service.

        • Well I guess I will find out when they are suppose to contact me within the next 7 days if their services are free or not. They give the impression that it’s free…..OMG…..I can’t win!

        • Received a courtesy call from the Tax Advocate Office in Houston, TX, that’s where I am. She said that they had received my request and my file had been assigned to Andover Mass., she provided me the name of the person and phone number. She further stated that I should be receiving a call from them by Monday 04/18/16. I checked WMR this morning 04/14/16. It went from saying ” Your refund is still being processed and a refund will be provided when available” to “We have received your tax refund and it’s being processed”. I have no idea what that means! Does it mean the process will start all over again??? Regardless, there’s a bit of hope that something is going on and my refund is being moved around. I hope I get it before the TAX ADVOCATES charge me for their help. I had no idea there might be a fee from them. I will update…..

        • Yay! Checked WMR this morning 04/16/16. The orange bars are back and my refund was approved and a deposit date of 04/20/16. It’s been a long battle…but it seems to finally coming to an end.

  11. Filed 02/13/16 electronically, accepted by the IRS that same day. WMR showed received initially, a few days later all bars were gone. Waited until my 21 days. Contacted the IRS spoke to a live person and was told that it was pulled on 02/22/16 for a review. She further stated that she didn’t see anything wrong with the return and to allow it 6 to 8 weeks. From then to now, I’ve called randomly and was told about the same thing each time that it was pulled in February for review and if I have not received any letters not to worry they are still reviewing my refund and give it 6 to 8 weeks from when it was pulled for review. So that will be April 18 for the full 8 weeks. We shall see and I will update you guys. I do check the WMR site religiously every morning as the IRS representatives have advised…..still no update other than it’s still being processed…….

    GOD bless us ALL :)

    Reply
  12. I want to thank this site for providing important information. I was able to speak with a live representative once I followed the instructions in the article (stated below too)! Thank you.
    Now, let’s see if this will take (9) weeks or if I’ll get lucky

    Reply
  13. My refund status has been saying still being processed since I filed in January, now as of last week it make sure you entered your info correctly which I did, what does this mean? Does it update once the refund deposit date is available? or does it just get deposited?

    Reply
    • Me too! The first agent said I would get a letter asking me for more information. The second agent said it was pulled for a manual review and no letter would be sent . The third agent said Im in my 6th week of review and had to wait 8weeks. He said there weren’t any errors and any notices. He apologized for the wait. Today April 5th Im in the 7th week.smh

      Reply
      • This had happened to me for the past 5 years. I’m single, file 1040 form with one or two w2s. Always have insurance and never had Id theft. I’ve learned that the agents will always give different answers or just tell you to wait 9 weeks. I never receive a letter in the mail asking for more info. Usually just keep checking online status and sometime in June or July it will give me a direct deposit date. I really wish I could find out why but the irs are liars and really don’t give a F if they take forever. It’s sad and one day I will just change it so I get no refund and more on my check. You really have to learn to just forget about your return because it will drive you crazy looking for an answer or getting your hopes up.

        Reply
        • Filed Jan 28th. Still waiting. Had to mail insurance crap. Called 4/25. No record of my return. 5th week in a row..5th lie. Told Mrs. ROPER that I WILL NOT SEND IN FORMS AGAIN.ITS BS. YOU’VE ALL TOLD ME DIFFERENT STORIES. IN DONE WITH YOU PEOPLE and hung up.

      • I am at my 9 weeks and I called yesterday. I was told that she did not see any errors and that it may take an additional 12 weeks!!!!

        Reply
  14. It’s all BS! If we owed them they would be tacking on interest to it, but they owe us and it’s ok to take as long as they damn well, please?????? I’ve been waiting since January. I did what they told me to do and still nothing!! My state is also not being refunded to me, they are taking their sweet ass time too!!

    Reply
  15. So i was able to talk to someone and they told me my 9 weeks process stared on Feb 17 after the 9 weeks have passed if i haven’t receive my deposit i can call them back. So not sure about this But has anyone been told to wait the 9 weeks and actually received the deposit with in that time ??? or didn’t get it after the 9 weeks and had to call them back?? plz help..loosing my mind over this sigh

    Reply
  16. I filed my taxes on March 3 via TurboTax as I have for the past 5/6 years and received a notice they had been accepted on March 4th. I was suppose to have my return no later than the 25th of March, but as of today I still do not have it. I contacted the IRS using the number with the 652 extension someone suggested on this site and got a hold of someone in 15-20 minutes. The lady said my ACTUAL ACCEPTED date was March 14 and not March 4th I had been notified of. She verified my information and said there is nothing I need to do but wait 9 weeks. She said 9 weeks is what they’re required to tell everyone though it could be sooner. There’s still a chance I could get mine 21 days from the accepted date, but there are no clear patterns or methods that indicate when my deposit will hit. Online I still have the code 152 with the note that it’s still processing.

    ********Several people have asked this question and I still see no answer. IS THERE ANYONE THAT HAS FILED THEIR TAXES IN FEB OR MARCH AND HAVE BEEN TOLD TO WAIT 9 WEEKS AND RECEIVED THEM BACK SOONER? IF SO, HOW MUCH SOONER DID YOU RECEIVE YOUR REFUND?*********************

    Reply
    • Me and my now Ex husband submitted our taxes on Feb 2nd and we still waiting they say cause they didn’t receive his 1095a form so I faxed it over same day and that was 2/22/16 and we still haven’t heard nothing I called and they said we gotta wait 6 weeks before calling back that would be the first week of April now I hope I hear good news cause I can’t keep waiting !!!! Its funny how uncle same can take there time giving you your money but quick to take there’s …. Smh I wish I can tell them just wait 6-9 weeks and I’ll think about paying you BOL yea right ! Wow IRS I know y’all can tell me the real story on what’s going on but choice to give us the run around

      Reply
    • I mailed my returned on 3/16/2016 and it got to the IRS on 3/18/2016. Checked the WMR tool and it said accepted with one status bar, Check WMR again on 4/5/2016 and the pizza status bar was gone with topic 152 on the bottom. Called the IRS same day and spoke to a very nice rep and was told to just wait another 6 weeks.

      Reply
    • I filed on 2/5/16 got them back a wk later.. My mom filed on 1/31/16 and still hasn’t gotten hers yet..idk wat the irs doing

      Reply
  17. Short answer to that question is

    The IRS is a corrupt entity that make up their own rules and break them just as quickly as they fabricated them.

    Really no way of saying

    I got my tax refund last year no issues within a normal 20 day range. (ex wife got it all for back support)

    But it was paid no issues.

    This year the IRS sends me a letter saying “You’ve never filed taxes in your entire life”

    Really? You got them last year.

    So I sent them a copy of all of them including the letter they sent me the previous year.

    They are corrupt and need to be shut down.

    Reply
  18. I filed the middle of January and my refund is still processing for some reason. It shows topic 152 which means everything should be inline to receive my direct deposit. Unreal!!

    Reply
  19. I file thru H&R Block Jan 22 and was accepted 23th …been over 2 months and still says processing… i done everything i could…lost hope. just like we have a dead line to file they should have one for them to deposit. ugh

    Reply
  20. E-filed 7 weeks ago. Still no Federal Refund. Just got state last week. Ordered transcripts 4 weeks ago…still no refund. Ridiculous…

    Reply
  21. Hello . I filed with TurboTax in jan.and iam still waiting for a date . I have called the irs 2 time and both time they have said iam not marked to get a letter about anything and to just wait. I have been waiting over 2 months and no one can tell me why? Any one know whats going on ????

    Reply
  22. Filed 1/25…still no refund…had bars…lost bars….bars came back…bars gone…irs says 9 more weeks from Feb 8th! ahhhhhhhhhhh

    Reply
  23. Today my wmr changed from “your return is still processing and date when be provided when avail” to “we received ur refund and it is being processed” anyone else have this? How long faster did u receive DDD?

    Reply
  24. I. Filed on Jan 27 was accepted same day.waited 21days and call had to do identity. They then told me I have to wait another 9 weeks. It is now march 15 and I and still waiting. I have now been waiting 8 weeks total still nothing.I called the IRS and asked them if they were going to pay me interest and late fees ha ha they were pissed I even asked. God forbid you owe them though. Good luck everyone I hope you getjxq9 your money soon. Sincerely giving up!

    Reply
  25. I filed on Feb 19th…after a couple of days the where’s my refund bar disappeared when I called IRS both of the people I talked to said my return had been recieved & went through on March 8th…idk what went through even means & each one said something different… One said wait 6weeks after March 8th another said wait 9

    Reply
  26. I just called today bc today made it the 21st day and I had to verify my identity. I was told it would take at least 9 weeks but I’m PRAYING it doesn’t take that long.

    Reply
      • 1800-829-1040 once I talk to someone they told me I had to verify my identity and gave me a different number for that

        Reply
        • Yeah, my husband had to verify back in March. Good luck. We’re still sitting around waiting for ours. After verifying we were told to wait 6-9 weeks it’s been 8 weeks. I’m sure we won’t receive it in this time frame. We’ll have to call back and talk to an advocate I’m sure and that’ll be another 6-9 weeks

        • Yeah, I’m confused because they claim it can take up to 21 days. Isn’t that false advertising, though? They claim that it may take up to and not more than that? I’ve never had to wait this long. I feel bad for everyone, but it sucks. All I forgot to do, was sign my gd tax return. I sent it to the supposedly quicker route and it’s been over 21 days. Go fig.

  27. I filed electronically with a tax firm on Jan 16, Irs received and accepted on Jan 18th. I am still waiting. I called and spoke to a rep and he said its under review and Will be another 12 weeks! I’m a single mom, worked part time last year and had health coverage all year. My taxes are very, very basic. I don’t understand what their doing but I’m looking at a 4 or 5 month wait and when I read all these other stories how people have to wait a few extra weeks…wish it were me.

    Reply
  28. Hi Everyone….I want to Thank you soooo much…I followed your advice of how to talk live to a representative by following this advice:

    Dial 800-829-1040 ~ Press 1 or 2 for your language preference… ~ Press 2 ~ then 1 ~ then 4 ~ then 2… then enter the PRIMARY (whose listed 1st on your return) Social Security number…it will confirm the correct entry… After that…DO NOT PUSH ANY MORE OPTION BUTTONS…you will be connected to an agent shortly.

    I called this a.m. at 10:40 Central time…it said this was a high call volume time…I was connected literally in less than 60 seconds after I confirmed the social security number. Ms. Pettis anwered and was a peach to help me. She found the problem within 3 minutes. I hung up..located the information they needed to have corrected (I miss spelled the last name on one of my dependents..silly huh)…I had to call back…I repeated the exact same procedure and again I talked to another delightful agent within 60 seconds of SSN verification…..She stayed ON THE PHONE with me while she FIXED the error….

    Thank You for this website information….I’m truly grateful…Good Luck to all.

    Reply
  29. I filed on feb 25 and accepted ten min later by the irs i have been checking wmr every day today is 14 days and still no change its still processing this is verry frustrating im starting to think maybe something is wrong has anyone filed on our after that date got theres back yet

    Reply
    • i did mine Jan 22 and got approved 23th is March 6, keep checking my direct deposit card that i got from H&RBlock still says been accepted by IRS and is processing, this thing is getting out of control idk wtf the IRS is doing, especially when my friend did it Feb 3 and she got hers 3 weeks after ugh but i feel your frustration.

      Reply
    • We filed Jan 29th and still waiting. My
      Husband called and they said their system failed around time we filed and they are just now getting to those peoples and to not expect it until middle of April!

      Reply
    • ok how i got a hold of them i called 1-800-829-1040 ok so after u call press 1 for your language then press 2 then press 000000000 until they pick up

      Reply
    • Call the IRS: 1-800-829-1040 hours 7 AM – 7 PM local time Monday-Friday

      When calling the IRS do NOT choose the first option re: “Refund”, or it will send you to an automated phone line.

      So after first choosing your language, then do NOT choose Option 1 (refund info). Choose option 2 for “personal income tax” instead.

      Then press 1 for “form, tax history, or payment”.

      Then press 4 “for all other questions.”

      Then press 2 “for all other questions.” It should then transfer you to an agent.

      Or you can contact your local IRS office. See this IRS website for local IRS offices – http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-Your-Local-IRS-Office-1 or call 1-844-545-5640 to set up an appointment

      Or you may want to contact a Taxpayer Advocate in your area. See this IRS website for Taxpayer Advocate in your area and a toll free number – http://www.irs.gov/Advocate/Local-Taxpayer-Advocate

      Reply
    • i used turbo tax but this is something i do every year for now the past 5 years and this is the first this has happened…did you use turbo tax as well?

      Reply
    • this is my first year using turbo tax but i filed feb. 4th nd accepted on the 5th had one bar untill the 18th then it said tax return recieved nd its been processed dd will be available soon. then from there i call on the 26th because that was my 21 days they said my taxes was sent to IRS proctetion. so i had to prove my ID….. so i did that not knowing they was sending a letter i recieved a letter on the same date stating something about my ID so i called once again on March 1 and the man told me its back in proccessing it will take 8 to 9 weeks for me to get my taxes

      Reply
    • I am :( Getting really annoyed too. It is ridiculous. We just want our damn money back! Ugh…. We have bills to pay and have to live while going to school and working for free. WTH? The IRS is the worst. Are they understaffed or something or what? Makes no sense at all I mean really? All to verify a damn sig. Howa hard is that? LMAO! SMH

      Reply
  30. I think I may have read almost all the comments and questions here, I just want to know, did anyone lose status bars on WMR and go to “tax still being processed” receive their refund on time, or without having to do anything but wait? curious because I think my status bars disappeared 4 days after refund was accepted. I called IRS and they said i have to wait until my 21 day is up but then i asked them if there is any fixing needed to avoid long wait though IRS rep said no, that they dont even know yet weather something needs to be fixed or not…Help pls.

    Reply
    • Suggest you call a tax advocate…..or the IRS should be sending you a notice in the mail to advise of issue.

      Reply
  31. Again: Ok so question i got my state check today so does this mean i should be getting the federal deposit anytime soon or is just the waiting game with the federal direct deposit?

    Reply
      • i been checking my card but all i get is $0 and just says IRS approved and is processing my return, everything is good so why still processing and no deposit makes no sense its been 1 month and 10 days since i been approve and still says processing, ugh this is getting supper annoying.

        Reply
      • i had the same issue. I filed Feb 6. Got my State a week and a half later. Its now March 7th and still no federal return. Status still only says received. I can’t imagine this is normal…..

        Reply
  32. I filed my taxes in Jan 2015. They were received by the IRS on Jan 29. I have called and asked if I needed to verify my identity. I was told no, but had to answer alot of questions about who I am and where I have lived etc. The gentleman was very nice, it’s just rather frustrating…. we are now into march and all the website says is still processing….

    Reply
    • Update: Spoke with the IRS today. This woman was very helpful. Here in December I was supposedly sent a pin (I have been a victim of identity theft) and I never received it. I was instructed by the IRS to file a paper return and to use direct deposit. well finding out today I was instructed wrong…. I now have to wait till the end of March.. possibly longer bc of this error. I was told today I should have been able to get a replacement pin so that I could e-file. So now the wait continues…. So with that being said, I guess patience is a virtue. Be Blessed!

      Reply
  33. I called today because it’s the 21st day and I still haven’t received my refund, and I have no bars. It give me the 152 tax topic, but when I spoke to a representative she told me my refund was excepted on 2/12 but turbo tax say it was excepted 2/10. She also told me it looks like they will be sending me out a letter and there was a code 134 on there. I can’t find this code anywhere on the IRS website. Has anyone else had this issue or received this code?

    Reply
    • Understanding Your CP134B Notice
      This balance due notice alerts you there is a discrepancy in the amount of federal tax deposits credited to your account from the amount reported on your tax return, and to make payment by the pay-by-date listed on the notice.
      What you need to do
      If you agree with the information as shown, pay the amount requested.
      If you’re enrolled in the EFTPS: The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, please use that method of payment.
      If you’re not enrolled in the EFTPS, pay by check or money order.
      Make payable to United States Treasury.
      Write your taxpayer identification number, tax form number and the tax period on your payment.
      Mail your payment and the payment stub in the enclosed envelope.
      If you made payments not shown on this notice, call us at the number listed on Page 1.
      For tax forms, instructions and information visit http://www.irs.gov/Forms-&-Pubs.
      You may want to
      Compare your records against the notice figures to ensure the notice is correct.
      Answers to Common Questions
      Background
      When we send a notice from an account where we assessed penalties or interest, we include explanations for those assessments at the end of the notice. We assign a two-digit code to each of these explanations.
      Which explanations are on your notice?
      The tear-off stub on the last page of the notice lists the penalty codes assigned to the notice in the format aabbccddeeffgghh where aa is the first code assigned, bb is the second, and so on. If more than eight explanations print on the notice, only the codes for the first eight print on the stub.
      Example: The 030919 printed above “INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE” on the stub below means that penalty codes 03, 09, and 19 were assigned to the tax return for which this notice generated.
      RETURN THIS PART TO US WITH YOUR CHECK OR INQUIRY

      YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER BEST TIME TO CALL

      ( ) –

      0126

      200409 030919

      INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

      ATLANTA GA 39901-0039

      122A

      SB

      https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Understanding-Your-CP134B-Notice <–is this code they told you about? (It's called CP134B)

      Reply
  34. I got family members who work at the IRS they mention they don’t have enough processors on the floor and they are so backed up smh

    Reply
  35. I e-filed my Colorado returns 8 weeks ago. According to “where’s my refund?” it’s been stuck on “approved” and has said, “You can expect to receive your refund within 5 days”….for the past 2 weeks. It’s supposed to be deposited into my bank account, so I know it’s not a lost check. I’m becoming angry, because I promised a person in deep need that I would give them my refund. Colorado’s lackadaisical, incompetent way of doing everything is unacceptable. I assume everyone who works for this state’s government is high on weed all the time and can’t pull their act together.

    Reply
  36. Filed 1/19/16 accepted the same day week later got topic 152 so the bars went away, recieved letter to update identity online after my 21 days still nothing so figured i would request for transcript did so a week after verified identity woke up this mrng with bars back on WMR now saying approved and dd for March 2 so we’ll see. Will updated on March 2….crossing fingers

    Reply
  37. I filed with Turbo Tax on 2/11/16. Taxes were said to be approved a few minutes later on the same day. I was stuck on one bar for what seemed like forever. I saw many people saying that once you can request your return transcript then your refund shouldn’t be far behind. I was finally able to request my transcript yesterday (2/26/16) & woke up today with two bars and a DDD of 3/2/16. Which is my 21st day. Just be patient guys! Hope this helped!

    Reply
  38. Ok so question i got my state check today so does this mean i should be getting the federal deposit anytime soon or is just the waiting game with the federal direct deposit?

    Reply
  39. If you haven’t gotten your return CALL. I found out mine was in the error department and there was no sign of a letter going out to me. The lady I talked to put out and email to the department to get my letter out. Had I not called I don’t know how long it would have been. All it said was there was an error and it was in the error dept. I recommend calling -1-800-829-0582 ext 652. I waited about 10-15 minutes to talk to somebody.

    Reply
  40. Does anyone know how long it takes to get the refund after you do the ID verification?? i went to my appointment today and so far the guy said everything is good but he didn’t tell me a date for the deposit.

    Reply
    • Verified identity on 2/9 wmr updated 4 days later with a mail date of 2/22 it was mailed on 2/22 and we received it 2/25

      Reply
    • I verified my ID by phone on Monday, Feb. 29th, 2016 (at that point, the bars on the WMR site had disappeared, though it did say it was still processing), and was told it would take up to 9 weeks. But then 5 days later on Saturday (March 5th), the bars were back, but now it showed “Refund Approved”, with a date of March 9th, 2016 for a direct deposit of my refund.

      Reply
    • -Wednesday, 3-9-16:
      Just to update what I wrote below, back on Monday … I did received my direct deposit of my federal refund taxes this morning (3-9-16), just like the WMR tool said I would. So, after verifying my ID on the phone (on 2-29-16), till getting the actual refund, only took 9 DAYS (even though IRS rep said it would take up 9 weeks!)

      Reply
  41. Filed on Jan 27, 2016 excepted same day. WMR say Feb 25, 2016. Nothing yet. Last year did not have a issue. Friends and family have filed after me have received them already. Help!

    Reply
  42. I filed Feb 11, 2016 and on my where’s my refund app I’m still stuck on “Refund Recieved” my best friend filed the day after me and received her refund 3 days ago I don’t know what to do… I called the it’s and they have told me to wait the 21 days but it’s been two weeks and I’ve still been stuck in refund received!!!

    Reply
  43. Hello, well i have some questions, my husband called the IRS and they told him that he has to go in person to the nearest IRS office and verify identity, so did anybody else had to do this and if you did, was it just the ID verification of yourself or do we have to take our children too, IRS didn’t mention verification of the kids just His so i am just wondering if i should worry about not taking the children with him? sorry so new to this is kind of thing is freaking me out like if we did something wrong lol

    Reply
    • If you filed a joint return you both may have to go into the IRS to verify identities. But the IRS letter should clearly state whose ID needs to be verified. May just be your husband. But I am almost certain that your kids do NOT have to verify ID if you are claiming them as dependents and they are not filing their own tax returns. Also if under 18 they definetly won’t have to. See this article on IRS ID verification where you can call the IRS line to confirm.

      Reply

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