I believe I might understand what's happening with your return... The blank transcript could potentially mean your return is in the pre-processing stage, not yet assigned to an actual processing queue. I wouldn't be too concerned yet, though it is approaching the timeframe where you might want to consider follow-up actions. Perhaps give it until mid-March before taking additional steps.

Last year my friend with international income had a similar situation - blank transcript for weeks with cycle 05. When he finally called after 8 weeks, turns out his return had been selected for a "compliance review" because of foreign income reporting. They never sent a letter! The IRS agent told him international returns are frequently held for additional verification without notification. Not saying that's happening to you, but might be worth calling if you don't see movement by mid-March.

Did your transcript show any TC 570 or 971 codes before updating with the 846 Refund Issued code? I'm currently stuck in PATH verification with those hold codes and wondering if there's a typical sequence before getting the DDD. Also, which bank are you using for direct deposit? Some financial institutions process IRS deposits differently than others.

I track all my tax refunds meticulously for budgeting purposes. For PATH Act returns with EITC/ACTC, the IRS typically releases refunds on Wednesdays following the February 15th processing date. My transcript updated on 2/15 with an 846 code showing DDD of 2/22, while WMR still showed PATH until 2/19. Refund hit my Capital One account at 3:27am on 2/22 exactly. If your transcript shows cycle code 20240705 or 20240706, you're in this week's processing batch and should expect deposit precisely on your DDD.

Tbh I'd just set up a separate savings acct for these payments. That's what I did when this happened to me. The IRS is super overwhelmed rn and even if you call, they might not be able to fix it immediately. Just save every penny they send, don't spend it, and when tax time comes you'll be ready if you need to pay it back. Worst case, you have some extra $ set aside. Best case, you might get to keep some depending on your final tax situation. It's annoying af but less stressful than trying to fight the system.

I experienced this exact scenario with the Advanced Child Tax Credit distribution. The payment occurred due to asynchronous processing between the opt-out database and the disbursement system. When I analyzed my situation, I found the opt-out request was timestamped after the payment authorization had already been batched in the system. The IRS reconciliation algorithm will account for this during your 2024 filing through Form 8812 (Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents). You'll need to report all advance payments received on your return, regardless of opt-out status. I'm actually relieved now that I understand the mechanics behind it rather than worrying about a system error.

FreeTaxUSA is totally fine, I've used it for years with no issues. The software doesn't affect how quickly your refund is processed or delivered. That's all on the IRS's end. If your transcript shows it was sent but you haven't received it, that's an IRS or banking issue, not a FreeTaxUSA problem.

What specific codes do you see on your transcript? If it shows a 846 code with the 4th date, that means it was sent. But sometimes there are other codes that can give more context about what's happening with your refund.

The community wisdom here is that in-person verification actually speeds things up considerably. Most people who verify in person report getting their refunds within 2-3 weeks rather than the full 9 weeks the IRS quotes. The system is designed to be cautious with timelines, but the actual processing is usually much faster. I'd be concerned if you don't see transcript updates within 10 days though - that might indicate a secondary review is happening.

Think of your tax return like a plane waiting for clearance. Right now, you've been pulled aside for extra security screening, but you've completed that process. You're not at the back of the line again - you're just waiting for the final boarding call. Like a plane that's already loaded and just needs tower clearance, your return is prioritized once verification is complete. It's like being moved from the general security line to the pre-check line - still some waiting, but definitely faster than starting over.