guys. we need to stop complaning and do something about this. who's down to storm the irs building with me? 😤✊

Pro tip: If you owe them money, they'll find you real quick. But if they owe you? Prepare to wait until the heat death of the universe 🙃

Be careful about reading too much into these dates. Last year I convinced myself that the "as of" date meant my refund was coming that week. Ended up making financial plans based on that assumption. Big mistake. The date changed three more times over six weeks before I actually got my money. Now I only trust the actual 846 refund issued code with a date - nothing else on the transcript is reliable for timing.

The IRS transcript is like a book written in two different languages simultaneously. The cycle code (05 in your case) is like the chapter structure - it tells you when new chapters might be added (weekly updates). But the "as of" date is more like a librarian's note about when they last checked the book - it doesn't actually tell you anything about the story itself. Most of us in this community have learned the hard way to focus on the cycle code and the actual transaction codes (like 570, 971, 846) rather than the "as of" date which is mostly internal IRS bookkeeping.

Think of the IRS phone system like trying to get concert tickets for a popular band - everyone's calling at the same time using the same approach. Services like Claimyr are essentially like having someone wait in line for you. Is it necessary? No. Can it save hours of frustration during peak season? Absolutely. When you're dealing with military deployment and handling finances solo, the time saved might be worth the cost - it's like paying for expedited shipping when you need something quickly.

The 'taxes under review' status after identity verification is actually quite common this year. Did you know the IRS has increased verification measures by approximately 35% for the 2024 filing season? It's part of their effort to combat the rise in tax identity theft. Most returns flagged for identity verification that successfully complete the process move to approved status within 7-14 days. Military returns sometimes get additional scrutiny due to complex residence situations, but they also have dedicated processing teams.

I waited exactly 47 days with zero updates after being accepted on January 23rd. Nothing worked - not calling, not checking transcripts, not the stupid tax advocate service. What finally worked was filing Form 911 (Taxpayer Advocate Service request) and specifically citing financial hardship. Within 8 days of submitting that form, my transcript updated and I got my refund 4 days later. It's ridiculous we have to jump through these hoops, but if you're desperate, it's worth trying.

This is consistent with what we're observing in the Return Processing Pipeline this season. There appears to be a systematic delay affecting approximately 15-20% of returns filed between January 22-29. The IRS Master File processing system undergoes periodic batching protocols, and your return may be caught in what we call a "processing queue anomaly." These typically resolve within 45-60 days of acceptance without requiring taxpayer intervention. The absence of transcript updates specifically indicates your return is in pre-processing status rather than under review or audit, which is actually a positive indicator.

Just to clarify something important here - TurboTax isn't letting you amend until February 15th because the IRS doesn't open the amendment system (Form 1040-X electronic filing) until then. It's not TurboTax being difficult, it's an IRS system limitation. Kind of like trying to return an item to a store that's closed for inventory... the store exists, the return policy exists, but you still can't do it until they open the doors again. 😅 I wouldn't count on calling the IRS as a quick solution either - their phone systems are about as efficient as a chocolate teapot this time of year.

Be extremely careful with this situation. I had a client who filed with incorrect W-2 years and decided to "just wait and amend later." The IRS systems flagged it as potential identity theft since the income didn't match what was reported by employers. This triggered an account lock that took 9 months to resolve. Their refund was held, future filings were affected, and they received multiple notices requiring response. The IRS uses an Automated Underreporter (AUR) program that will catch this discrepancy 100% of the time. I strongly recommend documenting your attempt to correct this now, even if you have to wait to file the actual amendment.