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Unexpected CP21B Notice Showing $13,022 Refund from 2023 Taxes - I Didn't Request These Changes

I filed my taxes electronically on 2/1 and still no refund, but now I just received a CP21B notice dated December 24, 2024 for my 2023 tax return. The WMR tool has just been showing "being processed" for weeks and my transcript had no updates until this notice arrived. The notice says: Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Austin, TX 73301-0025 Notice CP21B Tax Year 2023 Notice date December 24, 2024 Changes to your 2023 Form 1040 Refund due: $13,022.00 They made changes I requested to my 2023 Form 1040 to adjust my: - income from wages, salaries, tips, etc. - self-employment tax Summary: Account balance before this change Decrease in tax Refund due: $13,022.00 The notice says if I haven't already received the refund, I should receive a refund check within 2-3 weeks as long as I don't owe other tax or debts they're required to collect. It mentions the refund amount may include interest, and any interest received is considered taxable income during the year I receive it. I'm confused because I didn't request any changes to my return. Starting to get worried since I usually get my refund within 21 days of filing, and now this notice mentions changes I didn't ask for. What's going on? Anyone else experiencing delays or unexpected notices this year? What's considered normal these days? Should I call the 800-829-8374 number on the notice even though I didn't request these changes?

GalaxyGlider

Tax pro here - the 21 day timeline isn't really accurate anymore. For 2025, most straightforward returns are processing in 28-35 days. If you claimed EITC or CTC, add another 2-3 weeks. Complex returns can take 6-8 weeks. Check your transcript for cycle codes - that's your best indicator.

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Mei Wong

what exactly do you mean by complex returns? 🤔

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2M

GalaxyGlider

Self-employed, multiple W2s, stock sales, rental income - basically anything beyond a simple W2 return.

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Mei Wong

welp guess thats why mine is taking forever then lol

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Liam Sullivan

Hey guys check out taxr.ai - it analyzes your transcript and tells you exactly what's happening and when to expect your refund. Costs $5 but saved me weeks of stress trying to decode everything myself. https://taxr.ai

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Amara Okafor

is this legit? seems too good to be true

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2M

Liam Sullivan

100% legit! Used it last week and it predicted my DDD down to the exact day. The AI explains everything in plain english too

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Amara Okafor

just tried it and OMG where has this been all my life?! 💯 worth every penny

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Giovanni Colombo

Im on day 47 still nothing smh

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Fatima Al-Qasimi

same boat fam 😭

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StarStrider

Filed 1/15, got mine yesterday. No credits or anything fancy tho

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Dylan Campbell

The IRS is such a joke fr fr. Why we gotta wait months for OUR money while they collect interest on it 🤡

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Sofia Torres

facts! they quick to take it but slow af to give it back

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Dmitry Sokolov

have u tried calling? sometimes that helps speed things up

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Jamal Harris

been trying but cant get thru. Always says high call volume 🤮

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2M