I've experienced these IRS staffing fluctuations before. Last year, I filed in February assuming early filing would mean faster processing. My return contained Schedule C business income and some investment losses. Despite electronic filing, my return was selected for manual review due to the Discriminant Function System (DFS) scoring. This extended my wait from the standard 21 days to nearly 9 weeks. The delay wasn't announced anywhere - I only discovered it after calling multiple times. The lesson? Complex returns face longer delays regardless of when you file, and these staffing issues will only exacerbate that problem.

According to Internal Revenue Manual section 21.4.1, the IRS is still bound by the requirement to issue most refunds within 45 days of the filing deadline to avoid paying interest on refunds. While staffing issues may cause some delays, they have strong incentives to maintain processing speeds. The IRS has also implemented Integrated Enterprise Operations (IEO) which allows for more flexible workforce deployment during peak periods. I would recommend proceeding with your filing as planned, ensuring you use e-file with direct deposit, and maintaining documentation of your submission date per Treasury Regulation §301.6402-2.

When my wife and I PCS'd to Fort Bragg last year, we ran into the exact same issue! The ID.me verification kept failing because our cell phones were still registered to our previous address in a different state. What worked for us was visiting the local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. I made an appointment through the IRS website, brought my military ID, last year's tax return, and two forms of identification. The representative was able to print the transcripts right there! It took about 45 minutes total, but we walked out with everything we needed. Most bases have a TAC within reasonable driving distance.

Military families face this constantly. Not just with IRS. With everything. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt. Try the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They help military specifically. Call your installation's legal assistance office too. They have connections. Don't create new accounts. Bad idea. Flags your file. Causes more problems. Trust me on this one.

I believe I might understand what's happening with your return... The blank transcript could potentially mean your return is in the pre-processing stage, not yet assigned to an actual processing queue. I wouldn't be too concerned yet, though it is approaching the timeframe where you might want to consider follow-up actions. Perhaps give it until mid-March before taking additional steps.

Last year my friend with international income had a similar situation - blank transcript for weeks with cycle 05. When he finally called after 8 weeks, turns out his return had been selected for a "compliance review" because of foreign income reporting. They never sent a letter! The IRS agent told him international returns are frequently held for additional verification without notification. Not saying that's happening to you, but might be worth calling if you don't see movement by mid-March.

The post-verification process is like a plane in a holding pattern - you've been cleared to land but there are still other planes ahead of you. Most of us see updates within 2 weeks, but the IRS doesn't prioritize based on when you verified - they process in batches based on internal factors we can't see. Keep checking your transcript for the 846 code, that's your boarding pass to refund-ville.

I just went through this exact process and got my refund yesterday! Here's what happened: 1. Received letter asking for verification on March 15 2. Verified online March 17 3. Transcript updated with 571 code (resolved hold) on March 27 4. 846 code appeared April 1 5. Money in my account April 3 Total time from verification to deposit: 17 days. The key was watching my transcript, not WMR which never updated until after I got the money.

Your employer should help. Ask for documentation. Show coverage start date. Request a letter stating enrollment date. Get copies of premium payments. Submit these to the Marketplace. Request retroactive cancellation. Worth a try.

I successfully resolved an APTC repayment issue through Form 14095 (The Health Insurance Marketplace Statement). My situation was similar - I had received $2,340 in Premium Tax Credits for 8 months while simultaneously covered under my spouse's employer plan. I submitted documentation showing the overlapping coverage periods and requested a retroactive termination. The Marketplace approved it in May 2023, issued a corrected 1095-A, and I filed an amended return that eliminated the repayment requirement entirely.

I received my refund on Greendot exactly 37 hours after my transcript 846 date. My deposit date was March 8th at 12:01am according to my transcript, and the funds were available on March 9th at 1:24pm. The delay cost me $38 in late fees on a bill that was due on the 8th. If your transcript shows March 15th, I'd expect it to be available by end of day on the 16th or possibly Monday since that's a weekend.

I got my refund on Greendot yesterday after a similar timeline to yours. Have you checked if your Greendot account has any verification holds? Sometimes they place temporary holds on large deposits until you verify some information. Did you receive any text messages from them about verifying your deposit? How long have you been using this particular Greendot account?

Last year my transcript showed Feb 17th, then changed to Feb 21st. I panicked because I needed that money for a car repair. Compared to my sister who uses direct deposit to her bank account - she never sees these date changes. I think it has something to do with how H&R Block processes the deposits compared to regular banks. The emerald card is convenient for getting your refund without paying the tax prep fees upfront, but this date-changing thing happens every year. Still, I got my money on the 21st exactly as the updated transcript showed.

I believe I might have some insight into this specific situation. I've been tracking DDD patterns for PATH Act returns with cycle code 05 for the past few years, and there appears to be a correlation between filing date and these date adjustments. Returns accepted between January 12-15 (like yours) frequently show an initial DDD that gets pushed back by 3-4 days. In approximately 87% of the cases I've documented, the funds were deposited on the second date. Would you mind confirming whether your return included EIC or ACTC credits? Those seem to be particularly susceptible to this pattern.

Warning based on my experience last year: if you have any unresolved issues from previous tax years, the IRS may hold your CTC payments. The irs.gov/ctc-updates page specifically mentions that unresolved 570 codes from prior years can delay current year credits. I found this out after checking the IRS2Go app daily for weeks with no updates. Make sure to check your account transcript for ALL tax years, not just 2023, as the system performs a cross-year compliance check before releasing payments. This isn't mentioned in most IRS publications but is confirmed on their internal processing guidelines.

Just got mine today! Filed Jan 29, got regular refund Feb 12, CTC hit my acct this AM. Was getting worried tbh. Checked the IRS2Go app every day lol. No status updates until it suddenly appeared. Hang in there!

Look, the WMR tool is garbage and everyone knows it. It's been broken for years. I've gotten direct deposits when it showed nothing, paper checks when it said direct deposit was coming, and sometimes it updates AFTER I already got my money. Don't waste your time trying to find patterns in a broken system. The IRS is going to do whatever they're going to do, and that little cartoon bar graph isn't going to tell you anything useful. Check your bank account daily and your mailbox daily until something shows up.

Have you checked if your bank information was entered correctly on your return? I've seen cases where people thought they were getting direct deposit, but had transposed a digit in their account number or routing number. When that happens, the deposit gets rejected by the bank and the IRS automatically converts it to a paper check without updating WMR. This happened to my sister last year and she was completely confused until the check showed up. Might be worth double-checking your return copy to make sure all banking details were entered correctly.

I work with tax clients and see this comedy of errors play out every tax season 😂. Last month, I had a client who received her refund on Monday and then got a letter on Wednesday saying her return couldn't be processed until she verified her identity. The IRS has multiple systems that don't always sync up in real-time. The 846 code is the most reliable indicator - if you have that with a date, your money is on the way regardless of what letters might be in the mail pipeline.

Have you checked if the 846 date on your transcript has already passed? I had mine show up on April 12th with a deposit date of April 17th, but then got a verification letter on April 15th. I completed the verification on April 16th, and still got my deposit on April 17th as scheduled. Curious about your timeline specifically.