have you checked if theres a mail forwarding order active on your address? my friend had this happen and her refund check got sent to her old address and then redirected which added like 10 extra days.

I'm in a similar situation - my refund check was mailed on 3/13 according to my transcript and I'm still waiting too. From what I've been reading here and other forums, it seems like 7-10 business days is more realistic than the 5-7 the IRS website claims, especially with how inconsistent mail delivery has been lately. For what it's worth, I signed up for USPS Informed Delivery like someone else mentioned and it's been helpful to at least know what's coming each day. Takes some of the guesswork out of checking the mailbox constantly. Since yours was mailed Monday and it's only been 5 business days, I'd try to hang in there until at least next Friday before calling. I know it's stressful when you need the money for repairs - hopefully it shows up early next week!

This happened to me two years in a row! The first time it took exactly 11 days from the WMR update to receiving the check. The second time was 9 days. I was counting every penny because I had car repairs that couldn't wait. One thing I learned - if you deposit the check through an ATM or mobile app, many banks put a hold on government checks over a certain amount. I went inside the branch instead and they gave me immediate access to the first $1,500. Just something to consider if you need the money quickly!

Same thing happened to my sister last year! The IRS switched her direct deposit to paper check with no explanation. In her case, it turned out her bank had updated their routing procedures and was rejecting certain types of ACH transfers from government agencies. She called her bank first before calling the IRS and they confirmed they had rejected the deposit attempt. The paper check took exactly 12 days to arrive after the WMR status changed. She was able to track it through USPS Informed Delivery like someone else mentioned - super helpful for peace of mind! One tip: when you get the check, take a photo of both sides before depositing just in case there are any issues with mobile deposit. Government checks sometimes have different formatting that can cause hiccups with mobile apps.

I filed an extended return last year and it took FOREVER. Mailed it in early May and didn't get my refund until mid-August. Over 14 weeks! When I finally got through to someone at the IRS, they said my return had been in a backlog of paper returns that were processed in the order received.

I'm in a similar boat - filed my extended return by mail in early May and still waiting. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like 6-8 weeks is pretty standard, but some people are waiting much longer. @Anastasia - since you filed around May 1st and it's been a few weeks, you're probably looking at getting your refund sometime in late June or early July if everything goes smoothly. The $3,800 is substantial enough that they might take extra time to review it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. One thing I learned from this thread is that calling the IRS might be worth it just to make sure there aren't any issues holding up your return. Even if it doesn't speed things up, at least you'd know if there's something you need to address. Those services like Claimyr that people mentioned might actually be worth trying if you're getting anxious about it. Keep checking "Where's My Refund" every week or so - once your return shows up in their system, you'll at least know it's being processed rather than lost in the mail.

Something important that nobody's mentioned yet - if you don't receive your check within 4 weeks of the date shown, you should contact the IRS immediately. Unlike regular refunds where they tell you to wait 6-8 weeks before inquiring, with checks they have a different protocol because of the possibility of theft or loss in the mail system. Also, if you move or change addresses frequently, these checks will NOT be forwarded by USPS even if you have mail forwarding set up - they'll be returned to the IRS instead.

Based on my experience and what I've seen from others here, your March 7th date means the IRS will issue/mail the check on or around that date, but you should realistically expect it to arrive 5-7 business days later - so probably around March 12-16th. Since you mentioned being on a fixed income and needing to plan accordingly, I'd suggest not counting on having access to those funds until at least March 14th to be safe. The 7-day timeframe you experienced with your last refund sounds pretty typical. Also, as someone else mentioned, definitely sign up for USPS Informed Delivery if you haven't already - it's free and will at least let you know when the check is actually in transit to your mailbox.

3 Quick question - how much of the Child Tax Credit can you actually claim with an ITIN? I thought there were limitations for non-citizens?

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact process last year with my two kids on an H1B visa! You can definitely apply for ITINs and claim your children as dependents on the same tax return. Here are a few key tips from my experience: 1. Make sure you're using the most current W-7 form - the IRS updates it periodically and they'll reject outdated versions 2. For the supporting documents, certified copies from the issuing agency work just as well as originals and are much safer to mail 3. When filling out your 1040, write "ITIN Applied For" in the SSN field for each child 4. Processing typically takes 7-11 weeks, but you can still e-file your return while the ITIN applications are pending The Child Tax Credit alone made this worth doing immediately rather than waiting until next year. For two kids, you're looking at potentially $4,000-$6,000 in tax benefits depending on your income level. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - if you have any issues or questions after submitting, calling the IRS directly can be nearly impossible. Consider keeping documentation of everything you submit and maybe look into services that can help you get through to an actual IRS agent if needed. Good luck with your first tax filing as a US resident!