I swear the IRS does this on purpose. they want to hold onto our money as long as possible. if it was us owing them, they'd charge penalties and interest but when they owe us its like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whenever we get around to it

My tax guy told me they're required by law to issue a check within 21 days of a rejected direct deposit, but in practice it can take up to 6 weeks. The system is ancient and runs on programming languages from the 1960s. Can't expect much from them tbh.

the IRS and cash app are both trash. i waited 7 weeks for my refund last year and cash app took another 4 days after my DDD to actually give me MY money 🤬

Have you checked your IRS transcript to see if there are any issues or holds? Sometimes there's a problem that needs to be resolved before they'll release the funds, even if you have a DDD. You can access your transcript online at irs.gov if you have an account.

This is why I always elect to receive a paper check. Yes, it takes longer initially, but at least I know exactly when it's in my hands. Too many banking delays and mysteries with direct deposit.

I have USAA and my deposits from the IRS always hit one business day after the DDD on my transcript. It seems to be pretty standard that there's at least a one-day delay, so I wouldn't worry yet. If it doesn't show by Thursday, then maybe start making some calls.

If you need the money urgently, there are tax refund advance loans available. But they usually charge fees so I'd only recommend as a last resort.

Pro tip: If you end up needing to call the IRS (which you probably will if your refund gets delayed), use Claimyr. I spent LITERAL WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS myself. Used Claimyr and had an agent on the phone within an hour. Best decision ever. claimyr.com

My ex did this exact same thing!!!!! It was a huge mess and delayed my refund. I finally managed to reach someone at the IRS using Claimyr and they helped me straighten it out. I provided my deed and payment records, and they denied his claim. But it took MONTHS. Start gathering your proof now just in case!

the irs is so broken man. you and your ex both gonna be fighting over whos right while the irs just sits on your returns for 9 months doing nothing 😂

Had the EXACT same issue. Ended up having to go through my transcript to figure out what was happening since SBTPG and Credit Karma kept blaming each other. Found out using taxr.ai that there was actually a refund offset I didn't know about. It explained why the amount was different from what I expected. The IRS took part of my refund for an old student loan debt but no one bothered to tell me! Once I understood what happened, I stopped wasting time with SBTPG and Credit Karma. https://taxr.ai literally saved me days of stress and confusion.

For future reference - never EVER get your refund through the tax prep company. Always choose direct deposit straight from IRS to your bank. It's faster and you avoid all these SBTPG headaches. The only reason to go through SBTPG is if you're getting an advance or having fees taken out of your refund (which usually means you're paying extra fees).

Sometimes there are delays that don't show up on WMR or even your transcript. Last year I had a "random review" that delayed my refund by 3 weeks past my DDD with zero notification. I finally found out what was happening by using taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it spotted patterns in the codes that indicated the review. Saved me hours of pointless calls and stress! https://taxr.ai

I got mine at 5:15 Eastern! DDD 3/12 with SunTrust. Maybe check again?

Wait until you find out they charge you an extra $40 "technology fee" for the privilege of having your refund go through SBTPG first. It's in the fine print when you choose to pay your tax prep fees from your refund. Total ripoff.

This is my 3rd year as a tax preparer and this question comes up all the time. Here's the deal: The IRS processes refunds and sends them out basically 24/7. But if you chose to have your tax preparation fees taken out of your refund, you added a middleman (usually SBTPG). They receive your refund from the IRS, deduct the fees you owe, and then forward the rest to you. SBTPG only processes these transfers once per day at 2:30 PM Pacific. This is purely their business decision and has nothing to do with the IRS.

Makes my blood boil that the IRS makes everything so complicated and then punishes us when we can't figure out their archaic systems. Like why can't they just send the stimulus money to everyone they know is eligible instead of making us jump through hoops? 🤬

I used FreeTaxUSA for my 2020 return last year but had to print and mail it. Their software was still able to prepare it correctly though, and it only cost me like $15 for the state return (federal was free). Might be worth checking if they can still prepare 2019 returns even if you have to mail it.

fun fact: if u call the FTB automated system (not a live person) and enter your info, it sometimes gives more updated information than the website or even the chat agents. That number is 800-338-0505 and u can check refund status 24/7.

I spent WEEKS trying to figure out what was going on with my refund. Kept getting the runaround. Finally used claimyr.com to actually get through to someone at the tax office, and they fixed my issue in like 5 minutes. Turns out there was a simple verification flag that could have been resolved instantly if I'd been able to talk to someone sooner. My deposit hit my account 3 days later. If you need actual help and not automated responses, highly recommend this route.