Tbh this is why I stopped using tax prep services that take fees from refund. The extra wait is brutal! Last yr switched to FreeTaxUSA and paid the $15 fee upfront w/ my CC. Got my refund DD straight from IRS w/o any SBTPG delays. Might be worth considering for next yr if the wait is stressing u out.

I've been through this SBTPG nightmare three years running. Last year they held my refund for 7 days after receiving it from the IRS. The year before that, it was 5 days. This year I wised up and just paid my preparation fees upfront. My refund came direct from IRS to my bank account in 13 days total. No more SBTPG for me ever again!

I'm always suspicious when people post about getting their refunds so quickly. Most people I know (including myself) are still waiting, especially with all the verification delays this year. The IRS website clearly states 21 days is the minimum for most refunds, and those with credits can take 4-6 weeks. Maybe you got lucky, but this isn't the norm for most filers right now.

Nah, OP's timeline is legit. The 0505 cycle is processing on schedule rn. I work w/ tax prep and most of our clients w/ that cycle code are getting their DDDs as expected. The IRS is actually ahead of schedule compared to last yr. The 21-day guideline is just the IRS covering themselves. Simple returns w/o credits are moving faster this season, esp if you e-filed in Feb. Congrats on getting your $$ OP!

This is similar to what happens with regular tax refunds as well. The Where's My Refund tool often shows one status while your bank account tells a different story. When comparing the SBTG portal to other IRS systems, they all seem to suffer from the same delayed updates. I've found that direct deposit usually arrives 2-3 days before any status portal updates, while paper checks can take 5-7 days longer. I'd cautiously suggest that if your return was accepted and you haven't received any error notices, the funds are likely already in process despite what the portal shows.

Per Internal Revenue Manual 21.4.1.3(7), the update cycle for online portals occurs on a 24-hour delay from actual processing events. However, during peak periods (as defined in IRM 21.2.3), this can extend to 72-96 hours. As of April 2, 2024, the IRS is operating under Elevated Processing Protocols, which means all non-essential system updates are being queued with lower priority than actual payment processing. You should monitor your financial institution for the deposit rather than relying on the portal status. URGENT: If no deposit appears within 10 business days of acceptance, you should contact the IRS directly as this would exceed standard processing timelines even during peak periods.

Have you received any letters from the IRS? Sometimes they send notices requesting more information. Did you claim any credits? Those can delay processing. Are you checking WMR or just Netspend?

Based on what I've seen across multiple tax seasons, we're definitely experiencing longer processing times this year. In 2019, I received my refund in 6 days. In 2020, it took 9 days. Last year was about 12 days. This year, I filed on 2/15 and didn't receive my refund until 3/12 - nearly a month! The IRS is clearly struggling with volume and enhanced verification. If you don't see movement by the 30-day mark, that's when I'd start being more proactive about contacting them directly.

Be careful with SBBT. I had a similar situation where my transcript zeroed out and it took exactly 9 days to resolve. The issue was that my bank rejected the initial deposit due to a name mismatch (married name vs maiden name). SBBT had to reprocess everything. If you don't see movement in 3-4 days, I'd recommend calling SBBT directly at their customer service line rather than the IRS. The IRS won't have visibility into SBBT's processing status once they've sent the money to SBBT.

Think of your tax refund like a package being shipped. It's left the IRS warehouse (funded status) and is now on the SBBT delivery truck (unfunded with zeros). The tracking system sometimes loses visibility during the handoff, but the package is still moving. You might want to check if you have the SBBT app - it sometimes shows more current status than the IRS transcript does. Also, check your bank account directly rather than relying on the transcript status.