Did anybody mention TSP loans? Since you're working for the federal government now, once you've been contributing to your TSP for a while, you can take loans from it without the tax penalties of an early withdrawal. Interest rates are pretty reasonable too, and you pay the interest to yourself. Might be something to consider for future needs rather than tapping retirement accounts and paying penalties.

Hey Freya! I was in a similar situation a couple years back with an old 403b from a teaching job. One thing I learned that might help - since you're now a federal employee, you might want to consider if you qualify for any of the hardship exceptions that could waive the 10% penalty. Things like unreimbursed medical expenses, higher education costs, or even certain unemployment situations can qualify. Also, don't forget about state taxes! Depending on which state you're in, you could owe anywhere from 0% to 10%+ on top of federal taxes. Some states don't tax retirement distributions at all, while others treat them as regular income. The partial rollover idea mentioned earlier is really smart too - you could roll most of it into your TSP (yes, you can roll a 403b into TSP!) and just take out what you absolutely need in cash. That way you minimize the tax hit while still getting some immediate funds. Just make sure to get everything in writing from your 403b administrator about exactly how much will be withheld and when you'll receive the funds. Some plans can take weeks to process distributions.

Pro tip: save your transcripts as PDFs whenever you can get in. learned this the hard way

You might be able to call them at 800-908-4490 to get help with access. but goodluck getting thru to anyone 💀

Just a quick warning to anyone using the automatic extension - make sure you still file Form 4868 for an extension of your actual tax return by April 18th! The FBAR automatic extension ONLY applies to the FBAR itself (FinCEN Form 114), not your tax return. I made this mistake last year thinking the automatic extension covered everything related to foreign accounts. Ended up having to explain to the IRS why my tax return was late even though my FBAR was timely filed. Don't repeat my mistake!

Something nobody has mentioned yet - if you haven't filed FBARs in previous years when you should have, look into the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures. The penalties for late/missed FBARs can be INSANE (like $10,000 per account per year), but the Streamlined program lets you catch up without penalties if your failure to file wasn't willful. I went through this last year after realizing I should have been filing FBARs for 5 years. You file your past FBARs, certify that your failure was non-willful, and you're good. Much better than waiting for them to find you!

I've been dealing with the same 424 code for about 6 weeks now. From what I've researched, it usually means they're doing an income verification review - could be triggered by anything from a small discrepancy in your W2 reporting to just random selection. The waiting is the worst part honestly. I've seen people say it can take anywhere from 6-16 weeks to resolve. Have you tried calling the practitioner priority line? Sometimes they can give you a bit more info than the regular customer service line.

Ugh, I feel your pain! I'm dealing with the exact same thing - got the 424 code about 3 weeks ago and it's been radio silence since then. From what I've gathered from this thread and other research, it seems like they're just verifying some info on our returns. Super frustrating that they can just hold our money with basically no communication though 😤 At least it sounds like they do pay interest while we wait, which is something I guess? Definitely gonna look into that taxr.ai thing people are mentioning - anything beats calling the IRS and waiting on hold forever just to get a generic "your return is being processed" response 🙄

I totally understand your frustration! I went through the exact same thing last year - had a deposit date and nothing showed up in my account. The anxiety of waiting for money you really need is the worst. From my experience and what I've learned, the IRS "deposit date" is really when they send the payment to your bank, not when it actually hits your account. Most banks take 1-2 business days to process it after receiving it from the IRS. Since tomorrow is your scheduled date, I'd give it until Thursday or Friday before worrying. Also, smaller banks often don't show pending deposits at all until they actually post. If you still don't see anything by Friday, that's when I'd start making calls or checking your transcript for any issues. Hang in there!

I went through this exact same anxiety last year! The waiting is brutal when you really need that money. Here's what I learned: the IRS "deposit date" is actually when they release the funds to your bank, not when it hits your account. Your bank then needs 1-3 business days to process and post it. Since you're with a smaller bank and they told you they don't see anything pending, that's actually pretty normal - many banks don't show IRS deposits as pending until they're ready to post. I'd definitely wait until Friday before getting worried. If nothing shows up by then, check your transcript on the IRS website (irs.gov) - it will show if there are any holds or issues with your refund that the Where's My Refund tool doesn't display. The transcript codes can be confusing, but there are tools that can help interpret them if needed. Try to hang in there - in most cases, the money shows up within a day or two of the scheduled date!