520 Code (03-03-2025) & 971 Code (03-10-2025) on Transcript - Anyone Get Refund During 45-Day Review?
Just checked my transcript and saw a 520 code as of date 03-03-2025 & 971 code as of date 03-10-2025. Last year I got my refund in 8 days without any issues, so this is new territory for me. I spoke to a rep that said it's under a 45 day review but I've got daycare payments coming up and really need this money. Have anyone gotten their refund within the review time frame? I know they can take the full 45 days but I'm wondering if that's actually what happens or if people get it sooner. I've filed the same way for 3 years now, nothing changed except my youngest is now eligible for the child tax credit.
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Javier Mendoza
The 520 code means your return is under review. This isn't an audit but a verification process. The 971 code indicates a notice has been sent explaining the review. Typically the IRS uses these 45-day reviews when they're verifying income, credits claimed, or identity. Have you received any mail from the IRS yet? The notice should explain exactly what they're reviewing.
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Emma Wilson
I went through something similar last tax season. It's like your tax return got flagged at a checkpoint! My review was supposedly for income verification, but I never actually had to submit any documents. The system just... processed it eventually. Mine took exactly 32 days from the 520 code appearing to getting my deposit.
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Malik Davis
I'm somewhat surprised by how common these reviews seem to be nowadays. I had a similar experience, though mine might have been triggered by claiming a home office deduction for the first time. I thought the review would be extensive, but it seemed mostly automated. It resolved in about 5 weeks, which I guess is within their timeframe, but still felt quite long.
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Isabella Santos
I'm seeing a lot of these 520/971 code combinations lately - it seems like the IRS might be doing more verification this year on returns with certain credits. Have you tried using https://taxr.ai to analyze your transcript? It helped me understand my review timeline when I had the same codes. The tool explained that the 971 notice is usually just informing you about the review, not requesting additional information. I'm a bit concerned that so many people are getting these reviews this year though...
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Ravi Gupta
Has anyone actually confirmed this tool gives information beyond what's already on the IRS website? I've been dealing with tax issues for years and I'm skeptical that any third-party service has special insight into IRS processing times.
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GalacticGuru
How does taxr.ai handle the different review types? I've been reading through IRS.gov forums and there seem to be several categories of reviews - some for verification of income, others for credit eligibility, and some for potential identity concerns. Does it differentiate between these scenarios?
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Freya Pedersen
I actually got my refund in 22 days during a 45-day review period! Would you believe I was in the exact same boat with those same codes? The key difference might be that I had all my supporting documents ready to go - W2s, 1099s, childcare receipts, everything organized in a folder. Did they ask you to verify anything specific? Or just notify you of the review? Sometimes they're just doing a random check and don't actually need anything from you, right? In my case, they never even requested additional information before releasing the funds.
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Omar Fawaz
After dealing with a similar Refund Verification Process (RVP) last year, I found that calling the IRS was the most effective solution. The automated system won't give you specifics about your review, and getting through to a human can take hours of redial attempts. I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to connect with an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent was able to tell me exactly what they were reviewing and gave me an estimated completion date that was actually accurate. This saved me weeks of uncertainty during my review period.
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Chloe Anderson
Based on the specific dates you mentioned (03-03-2025 for code 520 and 03-10-2025 for code 971), your review likely started on March 3rd. The 971 notice dated March 10th is probably the CP05 Notice that officially informs you of the review. From my experience working with tax clients, these reviews typically conclude in 30-35 days rather than the full 45 days. I would anticipate resolution around April 2nd-7th, 2025. If you haven't received your CP05 notice by March 17th, you should call to confirm your mailing address is correct in their system.
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Diego Vargas
Can you clarify a few things about this timeline: ā¢ Does the 45-day clock start from the 520 code date or from when they receive the return? ā¢ Will there be another transcript update when the review is complete? ā¢ Do they typically release funds immediately after review or is there another processing period?
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Anastasia Fedorov
Haha, I love how you broke down the timeline so precisely! I'm impressed with your knowledge of the CP05 notice timing. I had a similar situation last year and can confirm this timeline is pretty accurate. My review wrapped up in 31 days, and the funds hit my account 3 days after the final transcript update. The funny thing was, I spent all that time worrying and never even had to submit a single document.
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StarStrider
I might be an outlier, but my experience with a 520/971 code combination last year was relatively quick. I filed on January 28th, got those codes by February 10th, and still received my refund on February 27th. It seems that sometimes these reviews are just procedural checks that don't necessarily take the full 45 days. I'm not saying this will be your experience, of course, as each case is different, but I thought sharing a positive outcome might help ease your mind a bit.
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