I had this exact question on April 2nd this year. The best way to confirm is to look at your tax documents. As of March 15th, tax preparation companies are required to provide an itemized receipt showing exactly where fees were taken from. If you can't find your documents, try https://taxr.ai to analyze your tax transcript - it can show you the exact amount that was initially approved for your refund before any fees were deducted. I use it every year to verify my refund amounts and make sure everything matches up correctly.

The tax preparation industry is like a restaurant that doesn't show prices on the menu until after you've eaten. The fees are almost certainly taken from your federal refund, not state. Think of it like this: the federal government is the big bank that allows third-party withdrawals, while most states are like the small-town credit union that doesn't allow such arrangements. If your state refund is lower than expected, it's probably due to a calculation error or a misunderstanding of your state's deduction rules.

WMR is notoriously unreliable. I filed in early February and my WMR never updated past "processing" but I got my refund in March. The transcript system is separate and generally more accurate, but it sounds like you're having technical issues accessing it. Try early morning (like 5-6am) when the system has less traffic.

When did you file? If it was within the last 21 days, it might just not be fully processed yet. Also, are you claiming any credits like EITC or CTC? Those take longer to process and might explain why you can't access transcripts yet.

Success story here - I was in your exact position last year. Couldn't remember if I'd received the third stimulus or not. Spent hours searching bank statements with no luck. Then I remembered I had changed banks in February 2021! Checked my old account statements and there it was - $1,400 from March 2021. Would you believe I had completely forgotten about that old account? Sometimes the answer is hiding in a place we're not even looking. Have you had any account changes that might explain why you're not seeing it in your current records? Or perhaps it came as a physical check that was deposited differently?

I'm curious - are you asking about this because you're trying to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on a late 2021 tax return? Because if so, it's important to note that the third stimulus payment was technically an advance payment of a 2021 tax credit, but the deadline to claim any missing stimulus money on your tax return was generally the April 2022 filing deadline (or October 2022 with an extension).

Has anyone tried calling the specific Identity Verification number instead of the main IRS line? Last year when I had to verify, I called 800-830-5084 directly and they were able to verify me over the phone without the letter. I'm wondering if that's still an option or if they've changed the process for 2024 returns?

I had almost exactly the same situation, possibly with a slightly different timeline. My verification was posted April 2nd, and I didn't get any portal notification whatsoever. The letter arrived around April 15th (a bit later than expected), and I verified online the same day. My refund was processed about 9 days later, which seems to be fairly typical for verification cases. You might want to check your mailbox carefully, as the envelope looks somewhat generic and could be mistaken for junk mail.

Got my "check is being mailed" notice on March 1st and was pulling my hair out waiting... then boom! Check arrived on March 8th. Right on schedule! 😅 I was convinced it would get lost in the mail or something, but the IRS seems to have their mailing system down pretty well, even if their payment method decisions make no sense lol.

If you're really concerned about timing, you can sign up for USPS Informed Delivery. It's free and shows you scans of mail coming to your address each day. That way you'll know exactly when the check is arriving. Helped me a lot when I was waiting for my stimulus payment last year. Took exactly 7 days from the mail date they provided.