Be careful with this situation. Last year my refund showed up in my account before WMR updated, and I thought everything was fine. Two weeks later I got a letter saying there was an error in my return calculation and they were adjusting my refund amount. Had to pay back $340! 😖 Not saying that will happen to you, but might be worth checking your transcript just to make sure everything processed correctly. The IRS giveth and the IRS taketh away, lol.

Did you have any tax preparation fees deducted from your refund? I'm wondering if that's why SBTPG was involved but not showing updates. I've heard SBTPG is primarily used when filing services take their payment directly from the refund amount rather than charging upfront.

Has your friend checked the IRS2Go app or the Where's My Refund tool on IRS.gov? Sometimes those will update with slightly different information than what shows on the transcript. I'm curious if it shows the same 3/28 date or something different?

In February 2023, I filed through TurboTax with fees coming out and a refund advance. My transcript showed a DDD of 2/22/23, but did I get it that day? No. Did I get it the day before? Also no. I actually received it at exactly 3:17 PM on 2/22/23. Why such a specific time? Because that's when TurboTax processed the batch that included my refund. They receive the funds from the IRS, deduct their fees, then initiate a transfer to your bank account. With Credit Karma being owned by Intuit (same as TurboTax), your friend might actually see it process slightly faster than I did, but I wouldn't count on it arriving before the 28th. Wouldn't it be nice if the system were more transparent about all these behind-the-scenes steps?

Your refund is likely held in Examination Pipeline processing. This occurs when there's a change in filing status from MFJ to Single. The IRS utilizes Form 1040X verification protocols even when filing a regular return after status change. Check for TC 424 on your Account Transcript - this indicates examination has been initiated. If present, expect 45-60 day resolution timeframe from the examination start date. This is standard procedure, not punitive action.

I was in your exact position last year! Filed Feb 9th, divorced Jan 3rd, and waited until May 2nd for my refund. What finally worked was contacting my congressional representative's office. They have dedicated caseworkers for IRS issues and got my refund released within 10 days of contacting them. The IRS had flagged my return for "verification" due to my filing status change but never sent me a notice. Congressional inquiry lit a fire under them like nothing else could!

I experienced the exact same transcript anomaly with my February 11th filing. After 32 days of N/A status, my transcript suddenly populated with a TC150 (return filed) code and a TC570 (additional account action pending) followed by a TC971 (notice issued). Three days later, the TC571 (resolved additional account action) appeared, and my refund was direct deposited within 5 business days. The system appears to be processing in sequential batches this year.

Military family here too - this happens to us almost every year! Last year we filed on February 15th and our transcript showed N/A until March 22nd. Then suddenly everything updated at once and we got our refund on March 29th. The IRS has special processing procedures for military returns with multiple state filings, and they often get grouped into specific processing batches. I wouldn't worry until you hit the 60-day mark - that's when you should start making calls. The good news is that when it finally updates, it usually processes quickly after that.

Has anyone who received their deposit already checked whether the amount matches exactly what was expected? I'm asking because last year I had a small adjustment (about $120 less than calculated) with no explanation, and I had to go through a whole process to figure out why. If you got your deposit already, can you confirm if the amount matched your expected refund exactly or if there were any adjustments?

Just a word of caution for Emerald Card users... be careful about counting on early deposits. My friend last year had a March 15th DDD and was checking hourly starting March 13th. Nothing came early, so she called H&R Block who said everything was fine. On the actual DDD, still nothing. Turned out there was a verification flag on her account that H&R Block couldn't see but was holding up the deposit. It eventually came 11 days after the DDD. I'm not saying this to scare anyone, just suggesting maybe don't make immediate plans for the money until it's actually there.