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Are you tracking which tax software people are using? I'm wondering if there's any correlation between filing method and update cycles. For example, do TurboTax filers see different patterns than those using FreeTaxUSA or H&R Block? I filed on January 26th using TaxAct and my transcript just updated today after being N/A since filing.
Just wanted to share a success story! I had an N/A transcript for 24 days straight, checked every morning at 6am. Then suddenly this Wednesday it updated with all codes at once, including an 846 for direct deposit on 2/26. Filed on January 21st with medical expenses and education credits. OP's pattern analysis matches my experience exactly. The waiting is brutal but the system is working!
According to the IRS.gov processing schedule (https://www.irs.gov/refunds), once you have a DDD, you should see the funds within 1-5 business days depending on your financial institution. Has anyone else noticed that returns filed at the end of January seemed to take longer this year? I'm wondering if there was some kind of processing bottleneck around that time?
Just to clarify - when you say you have a DDD on your transcript, do you mean you're seeing cycle code 20241205 with a 846 refund issued code? Sometimes people mistake the 971 notice issued code date as their deposit date, which it isn't. The actual deposit date is only confirmed with code 846.
The AOTC is almost certainly what's causing this. I've been through this three years in a row now. The IRS has been heavily scrutinizing education credits since 2021 after they found widespread errors and fraud. They don't process these returns in strict date order - they batch them by credit type and review status. My tax professional explained that returns with certain credits get sorted into different processing tracks. It's infuriating but unfortunately normal. Last year my return took 63 days to process with AOTC while my partner's basic return (filed same day) took 11 days.
Anyone else remember when the IRS actually processed returns in the order received? Those were the days. I was in your exact situation last year - filed 2/1, had AOTC, and watched as later filers got their refunds. Know when mine finally processed? April 11th. Why? Because they were doing extra verification on the education credit. But here's the good news - once it cleared that verification, the refund came within 4 days. And this year? Filed 2/5, got my refund on 2/14. The difference? No education credits this time.
Had 570 code. Had 401k withdrawal. Was verified. Took 31 days. Got full refund. No changes made. Seems common this year. Check transcript weekly. Look for 971 next. Then 571. Good luck.
My 570 code had nothing to do w/ 401k stuff. Was because I accidentally entered my W2 info twice (facepalm). IRS caught it, fixed it, adjusted my refund down a bit. Took about 5 wks total. IMO the 570 is just their generic "we need to look at something" code - could be 401k withdrawal, could be something else entirely. My bro had one for his student loan interest deduction last yr. Just how the IRS rolls these days tbh.
Danielle Mays
I might be able to help with this... I've used Credit Karma for my banking for about two years now. In my experience, they sometimes release a day early, but I wouldn't count on it being any earlier than that. Last year my transcript showed 3/1 and I got it on 2/28 around midday. Just be careful about planning around getting it early - I've seen people in the Credit Karma community forums who were disappointed when they didn't get early deposits like their friends with Chime or Cash App.
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Roger Romero
So I just went through this exact situation last week! My transcript showed 846 for 2/21, and I was obsessively checking my Credit Karma account every hour. It finally showed up on 2/20 at around 5:30pm EST. From what I've gathered from other Credit Karma users in their community forum, they typically release 0-1 days early, but it's really inconsistent. Some people get it a day early, some get it right on the date. I've never seen anyone report getting it more than a day early though, so I wouldn't expect it before 2/27. Hope that helps ease your mind a bit!
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