I'm dealing with the exact same frustration! Filed my Colorado return on March 8th and it's been over 3 months now with just that useless "processing" status. My federal refund arrived in February while Colorado is still radio silent. After reading through all these comments, I'm definitely going to check my full DOR account online instead of just relying on the refund tracker - sounds like there might be messages or requests buried in there that the basic tool doesn't show. Also going to be extra careful checking my mail for any official notices that might look like junk mail. The fact that so many people are experiencing 12-16 week delays (or longer!) is really concerning. It seems like Colorado's tax department is completely overwhelmed this year. At least knowing it's not just me makes me feel slightly better, but still incredibly frustrating that we have to play detective just to get basic information about our own money! Has anyone had success with calling early in the morning right when they open? Might try that before exploring some of the other tools people have mentioned here.

Same exact situation here! Filed my Colorado return on March 14th and it's been radio silence ever since. The federal refund came through in early April but Colorado is still showing "processing" with zero useful details. After reading through all these experiences, I'm definitely going to log into my full DOR account instead of just checking the basic refund tool. Sounds like there could be important messages or requests hiding in there that the simple tracker doesn't display. Also going to go through my mail more carefully - apparently they send notices that look like junk mail which is ridiculous. It's somewhat reassuring to know this isn't just affecting me, but absolutely maddening that Colorado's system is this broken. 12-16+ week delays with no communication is completely unacceptable. We shouldn't have to become tax detectives just to get our own money back! Going to try calling right when they open at 8:30am tomorrow and see if I can actually get through to a human. If that doesn't work, I might look into some of the other solutions people have mentioned here. This is beyond frustrating.

One additional consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet is the impact on your FSA or HSA contributions if you have them. When switching from bi-weekly (26 pay periods) to semi-monthly (24 pay periods), your pre-tax deductions will be spread across fewer paychecks, which means a slightly larger deduction per paycheck. For example, if you contribute $2,600 annually to an FSA, that's $100 per bi-weekly paycheck but about $108 per semi-monthly paycheck. This doesn't change your total contribution or tax savings, but it does affect your per-paycheck take-home amount. Also, with your salary increase to $72k, you might want to consider increasing your retirement contributions if you weren't already maxing out your 401(k). The higher income gives you more room to save pre-tax dollars, which can help offset some of the additional tax burden from being in a higher bracket for part of your income. The timing of when you start the new job in January is actually perfect for tax planning - you'll have the full year to let the new withholding work properly, rather than trying to catch up mid-year.

The pay frequency change itself won't impact your taxes at all - you'll owe the same amount whether you're paid bi-weekly or semi-monthly. The main difference is that with semi-monthly pay, you'll get 24 larger paychecks instead of 26 smaller ones, so your withholding per paycheck will be proportionally higher. However, your salary increase from $58k to $72k is definitely something to address on your W-4. That's a significant jump that will likely push some of your income into the 22% tax bracket. Since the W-4 was redesigned in 2020, the old "claiming 0" system doesn't apply anymore - the new form is actually much more straightforward. I'd strongly recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool on irs.gov when you start your new job. It will walk you through exactly how to fill out your W-4 based on your new salary and help ensure you're not under-withheld. Starting a new job in January is actually perfect timing since you'll have the full year for proper withholding rather than trying to catch up mid-year. One bonus tip: with your higher salary, consider whether you want to increase your 401k contribution rate to take advantage of the additional income while reducing your taxable income at the same time!

Friendly reminder to everyone: dont count on refund dates until you see code 846. The IRS be playing games fr

Your transcript looks pretty standard for early 2025 processing! The cycle code 20250605 with the Feb 24 processing date is actually a good sign - you're in regular processing without any review holds. The missing dollar amounts are normal at this stage - they'll populate once your return moves further through the system. The April 15 dates you're seeing are just tax year placeholders, not your actual refund date. Based on your cycle and processing timeline, you should see movement on your transcript by early March, possibly with a refund date around March 3-7 if everything continues smoothly. Keep checking your transcript weekly - once you see code 846 with a date, that's your official refund deposit date!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been super helpful! My daycare provider moved out of state suddenly and left no forwarding info - I have her name and the daycare address but that's it. I paid over $6,000 last year through a mix of check and Venmo. Reading everyone's experiences here, I feel much more confident about filing with the "provider refuses to provide information" option. I've been documenting everything - screenshots of my attempts to reach her through old contact info, copies of all my payment records, even saved the Venmo transaction history. One thing I wanted to add for anyone in this boat - make sure you're claiming the right amounts. I initially thought I could claim everything I paid, but then realized some payments were for late pickup fees and field trips that don't count toward the Child and Dependent Care Credit. Only the actual childcare costs qualify, so double-check what you're including in your total. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences with this - it's way more helpful than the vague IRS guidance online!

I just went through this exact situation last month and wanted to share what worked for me. My childcare provider also went completely silent when tax time came around - no response to calls, texts, or even showing up at her house. Here's what I did: I filed with the "provider refuses to provide information" box checked and included a brief written statement with my return explaining my attempts to contact her. I attached screenshots of unanswered texts and a timeline of my contact attempts. The IRS processed my return normally - got my refund in 21 days with the full childcare credit included ($1,100 in my case). No delays, no issues. I think the key is showing you made a good faith effort to get the information. I also want to emphasize what others have said about keeping detailed payment records. I had everything - Venmo transactions, photos of cash payments with dates written on sticky notes, bank statements showing check withdrawals. When you're missing the provider's SSN/EIN, your payment documentation becomes even more critical. Don't let an uncooperative provider cost you money you're legally entitled to claim. File with what you have and let the IRS sort it out if they have questions later!

Double check ur filing status too. HOH vs single makes a huge difference with kids

The tax system is such a joke fr fr 🤡