OMG I was JUST about to post this exact same question!!! My red circle appeared yesterday morning and I'm DYING waiting for my refund to hit! Last year I got the circle on a Tuesday and had money by Thursday, but this time it's different and I'm so anxious about it! I've literally set up alerts on my banking app and check it every hour. This money is going straight to catching up on bills from when I was sick in January. The waiting is TORTURE!

Per IRS Publication 2043, the standard timeframe for direct deposit after refund approval is 1-5 business days. Weekends and holidays are excluded from this calculation. My red circle appeared on March 15, 2024, and funds were deposited on March 19, 2024. Four business days is within normal parameters and does not indicate any processing anomalies.

I've been through this rodeo many times. Last year my AS OF date was stuck at 2/26 for almost a month, then suddenly jumped to 4/15 and my refund appeared 3 days later. Here's what the IRS doesn't tell you: they have internal processing batches that run on specific days of the week. If you miss one batch, you wait for the next. And if your return has any complexity at all (investments, business income, credits), you're likely going through extra verification steps. The worst thing you can do is amend or call repeatedly - that just pushes you further back in line.

Think of the AS OF date like the "last modified" timestamp on a document - it doesn't mean the document is finished! My transcript was stuck on 3/1 for weeks while I was panicking. Then yesterday everything updated at once - TC 150, 806, 570, 571, and 846 all appeared together with a direct deposit date for next Tuesday. Sometimes the IRS processes everything internally before updating any public-facing systems. It's like when your Amazon package shows no movement for days then suddenly appears on your doorstep!

I had this happen last year. Got the letter on day 19. Here's what worked for me: I called the specific number on the letter (not the main IRS line) early Tuesday morning right when they opened. Got through in 35 minutes. The agent told me they just needed to verify my W-2 information. She verified it while I was on the phone. My refund was deposited exactly 8 days later. The key is calling that specific department number on the letter, not the general IRS number.

Have you checked if you claimed any credits that might trigger additional review? The Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Credit can sometimes flag returns for verification, especially if your income changed significantly from last year. Also, did you have any investment income this year? That's another common trigger for these reviews.

Transcripts are weird. Sometimes they update fast. Sometimes they don't. Mine took 3 weeks. Friend got hers in 5 days. No rhyme or reason. Just IRS being IRS. Status changes complicate things. Head of Household gets extra scrutiny. Didn't know that before. Learning now. Tax system is complex. Too complex. Shouldn't need forums to understand basic processes. But here we are.

I filed on February 2nd, 2024 and my transcript was completely unavailable until February 23rd. Then suddenly on February 24th it showed all processing codes at once! Received my direct deposit on March 1st. So exactly 22 days from filing to transcript update, and 28 days total to getting my money. I was checking obsessively because I needed to pay tuition by March 5th. Made it just in time! Hope yours updates soon - the wait is so stressful when you have important financial decisions riding on it.

The IRS is probably somewhat backlogged with amended returns right now. In my experience, which is admittedly limited to just my own situation last year, it took almost 4 months for my amendment to process. You might want to consider pulling your tax transcripts if possible - sometimes they show movement even when the Where's My Amended Return tool doesn't update. I saved myself a lot of worry (and potentially paying for professional help) by checking my transcripts regularly.

Have you tried checking your tax account transcript instead of just the WMAR tool? Sometimes the transcript shows activity even when the amendment status tool doesn't update. And have you received any letters or notices in the mail? The IRS often communicates by mail rather than updating their online systems, especially when they need additional information, don't you think?