Per IRS Publication 1345 (Rev. 1-2023), when refund anticipation products are used (such as fees deducted from refund), the financial institution serving as the intermediary must process the refund within 24 hours of receipt on business days. However, this doesn't account for ACH transfer times between financial institutions. The total timeline from IRS direct deposit date to final customer receipt typically spans 2-5 business days, with most occurring within 3 business days. This is standard practice and within normal processing parameters.

Want to know how ridiculous this gets? My roommate and I both filed on the same day through H&R Block. She paid her fees upfront and got her refund exactly on her DD date (2/22). I chose to have fees taken out of my refund with the same DD date, and I'm still waiting. Same tax situation, same filing date, same DD date - just different fee payment methods. Doesn't that seem like something they should warn people about?

I waited exactly 63 days for my Maryland refund last year after filing on February 8th, 2023. This year I filed on January 29th, 2024, and still nothing as of today (April 2nd). Called the Comptroller's office on March 15th and they said there was a "verification hold" but couldn't tell me why or when it would be resolved. Called again on March 29th and was told they have no additional information. The representative mentioned they're seeing unprecedented volumes this year and many returns are being manually reviewed. Be prepared for a long wait.

I believe the Maryland Comptroller's office might be prioritizing processing based on several factors, not just filing date. From what I've gathered, they may be expediting smaller refunds while subjecting larger refunds to additional scrutiny. There also appears to be some correlation between claiming certain credits (particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit) and longer processing times. It might be worth noting that the Comptroller's website has a notice about "increased identity theft protection measures" which could potentially explain some of the delays we're experiencing this year.

Have you tried checking your status on the GA Tax Center website? Isn't it interesting how the federal system can process millions more returns yet still be faster than individual states? I was pulling my hair out waiting for my GA refund last year, but once I discovered you can check the status online, it gave me some peace of mind. Even though the status was just "processing" for weeks, at least I knew it was in their system. Relief came when it finally changed to "processed" and the money arrived three days later.

Georgia's tax processing is like a southern country road compared to the IRS highway system - takes you to the same place but at a much more leisurely pace! The state uses a different verification system that checks returns against employer reporting, which creates a bottleneck. I've noticed that if you claimed any tax credits on your GA return, that tends to slow things down even more. Have you claimed any GA-specific credits this year?

It's totally normal! Think of it like standing in two different lines at the grocery store. 😂 One line (PATH) is for people with certain credits and can't move until Feb 15th. The other line (your line!) moves at normal speed. You just happened to be in the express lane! Just make sure your bank account info is correct, and you should see that money hit your account right on time. Maybe even a day early if your bank is cool like that!

FWIW, I filed on 1/28 with no EITC/ACTC and got my DDD on 2/15. The WMR tool never showed PATH msg for me either. My transcript updated with an 846 code on 2/10, and the $ hit my acct exactly on 2/15. Check your transcript for code 846 - that's the official refund issued date. The IRS systems can be glitchy af, but the transcript codes never lie.

Here's what's actually happening with EIC returns filed in January 2024: 1. The PATH Act mandates that the IRS cannot issue refunds for returns with EIC before mid-February. This is to allow time for income verification against employer W-2 submissions. 2. Once the mid-February hold is lifted, returns don't all process at once - they enter a queue. 3. Schedule C filers with EIC get additional scrutiny because the IRS is verifying both employment income AND self-employment income claims. 4. Current processing time for these returns is averaging 28-35 days from mid-February (not from filing date), which puts many people at a late March/early April timeline. 5. WMR often doesn't update until final processing is complete, which is why many people see no movement then suddenly get a deposit date. I recommend checking your account transcript weekly rather than WMR daily. Your 846 refund issued code will appear there first.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if EIC processing times are different for people who filed with tax pros versus self-prepared returns? My brother filed the same day as me (1/24) through a CPA and already got his refund last week, while mine is still sitting with no updates. We both have businesses and claimed EIC. Is there some priority queue for professionally prepared returns compared to those of us who DIY with software?

Is your tax refund showing as approved in the Where's My Refund tool yet? I'm trying to understand where you are in the process to give better advice about Navy Federal's early deposit tendencies.

Navy Federal member for 15 years here! I've found they usually post tax refunds about 24 hours before the official date, but I've occasionally seen it happen 2 days early. It's honestly one of the best perks of banking with them - they don't hold your money hostage until the last possible moment! Just don't plan critical expenses around getting it early, because it's not 100% guaranteed. The IRS has to send the ACH file to them before they can release it.

Think of the e-file system like a nightclub bouncer - it checks your ID at the door and either lets you in or turns you away. Once you're in, you're in. The fact that you got rejected then accepted means you fixed what the bouncer was concerned about. Now your return is inside the club (IRS processing system) and moving through like everyone else's. The initial rejection doesn't follow your return around like a bad reputation once you've fixed the issue.

I tracked 42 returns with similar issues last tax season through a tax professionals forum I participate in. Of those, 39 processed within exactly the same timeframe as returns without initial rejections (21-24 days). Only 3 saw delays, and those all had additional issues unrelated to the name corrections. Based on that data, you have approximately a 93% chance of normal processing times despite the initial rejection.

OMG this post saved me from making a huge mistake! My hubby and I were literally about to file separately w/ me claiming HOH + our kiddo to get max refund (our tax guy suggested it 🙄). After reading this, I checked the actual rules and realized we'd be committing fraud! We redid everything as MFJ yesterday and while our refund is about $1,800 less than what we thought we'd get, at least we won't be looking over our shoulders for the next 3 yrs waiting for the IRS to catch us! Thx for the reality check!

I've been through the offset nightmare back in 2022. They took my entire $4300 refund for a student loan I thought was discharged through a disability program. Turns out the discharge paperwork never went through properly. The frustrating part? I had been receiving letters saying my loans were discharged for TWO YEARS before they suddenly decided they weren't. When I finally got through to someone after calling for days, they admitted it was their error but still kept my money and made me reapply for the discharge program from scratch. The system is completely broken - they make errors, you pay for it, and then you have to jump through endless hoops to fix their mistakes.

Here's a fun fact - the 'DD' in DDD stands for 'Direct Deposit' Date, not 'Due Date' like some people think! 😊 Your situation is actually optimal because you paid fees upfront. When H&R Block has to take their fees from your refund, they set up a temporary bank account (SBTPG - Santa Barbara Tax Products Group) where your refund goes first, they take their cut, then forward the rest to you. That adds 1-3 days to the process. Since you didn't do that, your refund goes straight from IRS to your bank!

My situation was almost identical to yours - H&R Block, paid fees upfront, DDD of 4/8. The money hit my account on 4/5 (Friday before). My brother, on the other hand, had his fees taken from his refund with the same DDD, and his money didn't arrive until 4/9 (day after). The difference? Mine went straight to my bank while his had to route through H&R Block's bank partner first. Your situation is more like mine than his.

Have u considered just avoiding the whole SBTPG situation next yr? IMO the best approach is to pay ur prep fees upfront instead of taking them out of ur refund. I switched to this method last tax season and got my refund directly from the IRS 5 days faster than when I used to use SBTPG! The fee for refund transfers is usually around $40-50 depending on the prep service, which isn't worth it if ur just gonna wait extra days anyway lol. Just a thought for next time! 😊

I'm so confused about something!!! 😫 If SBTPG already has your money from the IRS, why do they need to hold it at all??? Couldn't they just verify the fees and send it immediately? It seems like they're just sitting on our money for an extra day for no reason! Or am I missing something about how this process works?