After dealing with a similar situation (accepted 2/15, error message, 10-week delay), I finally resolved it by requesting a Taxpayer Advocate using Form 911. I submitted it on April 12th and had resolution by May 3rd. The key was documenting financial hardship - I included copies of past-due utility bills and a letter from my landlord about rent. The Taxpayer Advocate discovered that my return had been flagged due to a mismatch between my W-2 and what my employer reported (employer's error, not mine). Without the advocate, I would have been waiting the full 10 weeks with no explanation.

The community wisdom on these "error" messages has evolved over the years. Back in 2021-2022, they were almost always related to stimulus payment reconciliation. In 2023, they were often tied to the expanded Child Tax Credit verification. This year, many of us are seeing these generic errors related to the IRS's new fraud detection systems. The consensus seems to be: 1) Don't panic - these rarely indicate actual taxpayer mistakes, 2) The 10-week timeframe is usually worst-case, with most resolving in 6-8 weeks, 3) Calling multiple times rarely helps unless you can reach a different department, and 4) Check your transcript weekly for codes that might provide more insight than the phone representatives can.

Your transcript cycle code indicates your processing schedule. Daily updates occur Tuesday through Saturday at midnight EST. Weekly updates happen Thursday night/Friday morning for cycle code 05. To maximize visibility, check your account transcript around 12:01am EST after updates. WMR typically lags 24-48 hours behind transcript updates. The 846 refund issued code with your DDD confirms processing completion.

Watch out for that deposit date! I had a similar situation last year with a quick DDD, but my bank placed a 5-day hold on the funds due to the large deposit amount. Check your bank's ACH deposit policies for tax refunds. Some financial institutions have special verification protocols for tax refunds, especially if they exceed a certain threshold. Just a heads up so you don't count on accessing those funds immediately on 3/11.

I've been filing US taxes for about 7 years now after moving here, and I've noticed that checking the account transcript rather than the return transcript sometimes shows updates sooner. Last year my return transcript was blank for weeks but my account transcript showed a processing date. Might be worth checking both types if you're anxiously waiting like I was! It's still nerve-wracking every year, especially when you're not familiar with the system.

I filed on 2/12 and just got my refund yesterday. My transcript updated similarly - nothing for weeks then suddenly everything at once. I had a 570 code appear first (refund hold), then a 971 (notice issued), and finally the 846 (refund issued) all within a 48-hour period. The IRS told me they had to verify some information on my return, but I never received any letters asking for documentation. These sudden transcript updates seem to be happening to a lot of people this filing season.

Per Internal Revenue Manual 21.4.6, injured spouse claims filed after an offset has occurred must be processed within 8 weeks from the date of receipt by the IRS. However, during peak filing season (which we're in now), this timeframe is frequently extended. Your friend should be aware that if she waits until after the offset occurs, Treasury Regulation 301.6402-2 gives her only 3 years from the original filing deadline to claim her portion of the refund. I've seen cases where people waited too long and permanently lost their money. Given that it's already April, she should act quickly, especially if she's concerned about the statute of limitations.

I processed hundreds of these cases when I worked at the IRS until March 2023. Here's what your friend needs to know: If she filed on February 5th, 2024 and it's still not processed by now (April 2024), there's likely already a freeze code on her account because of the spouse's debt. The blank transcripts are a telltale sign. At this point, she should file the 8379 immediately - don't wait. The 8379 processing will add approximately 11-14 weeks to her refund timeline, but waiting will only make it worse. Last tax season, injured spouse claims filed after May 15th, 2023 were taking up to 5 months to process due to backlog issues.

Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for posting this!! 😭 I filed on 2/14 with TurboTax and also did the fees from refund option. My transcript has been blank this whole time and I've been freaking out! This gives me so much hope that mine might update soon too! I've been checking WMR and the transcript site literally every morning at 6am and again at night. The anxiety is REAL when you're waiting for your refund!

I filed exactly on February 15th, just 2 days after you, and my transcript is still completely blank after 29 days. I'm supposed to get $5,843 back and I need exactly $4,200 of that by April 1st to pay for some emergency home repairs. Seeing your timeline gives me a tiny bit of hope that mine might update in the next few days. Did you have any tax credits that might have delayed yours? My return includes $2,000 in Child Tax Credit which might be slowing things down.