Back in 2022, I spent nearly 4 hours trying to reach someone about my missing Child Tax Credit. After multiple disconnects, I found Claimyr (https://www.claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. Saved me hours of frustration. They basically navigate the phone tree and wait on hold for you, then call you when they've reached an agent. It costs a few bucks but was absolutely worth it to get my $3,600 credit issue fixed.

Last month I was in the same situation with my CTC after getting married. I tried calling at different times of day, different days of the week, even tried the Spanish line and using the translator (I'm somewhat conversational). What finally worked was calling the tax practitioner priority line and explaining that I had already tried the regular channels multiple times without success. They transferred me to someone who fixed the issue in about 15 minutes. Sometimes you just have to be persistent and try different approaches.

Have you checked your tax transcript instead of just WMR? Many people don't realize that transcripts update more frequently and with more detailed information than WMR ever provides. Here's what might be happening: 1. Your return could be in the verification queue, which doesn't trigger WMR updates 2. There might be a minor discrepancy that's being fixed automatically 3. The IRS could be experiencing database synchronization issues between their systems I'd recommend checking your account transcript every Tuesday and Friday morning (when the IRS typically updates their systems). If you see cycle codes ending in 05, you're on a weekly update schedule. If they end in 01-04, you're on a daily update schedule. That alone can tell you when to expect movement.

WMR is notoriously unreliable. It doesn't update consistently. Many returns are processed without WMR changes. Mine updated only after deposit. Check your bank account daily. That's more reliable. IRS is processing 2/20-2/25 filers now. You're probably in that batch. The system is overloaded. Delays are normal. Don't panic yet.

This happened to me with both my 2022 and 2023 returns. The IRS has completely separate processing systems for different payment types. In my case, I tracked both payment streams using the Account transcript (shows the CTC payment) and the Return transcript (shows refund status). Here's what I found: the CTC payments are automatically generated based on your previous year's return data, while your current refund goes through multiple verification stages including fraud detection, math verification, and sometimes manual review. My CTC hit 12 days before my refund last year and 9 days before my refund this year.

Got same thing last month. CTC came first. Refund came 8 days later. Different systems. Different timelines. Nothing wrong with your return. Just wait.

There's actually an important distinction between e-file acceptance and return processing that many people don't realize. When you get that acceptance notification, have you considered what it actually means? It's just confirming your return passed basic validation checks and was successfully transmitted. But that doesn't mean processing has started yet. The IRS processes returns in batches, and yours is likely waiting in queue. But here's the important part - the transcript system only updates when actual processing begins. So the gap between acceptance and transcript updating can be anywhere from 2-6 weeks during peak season. Did you claim any credits that might put you in the PATH Act delay category? That could extend your waiting time even further.

Be careful with this situation! I had the same thing happen last year and it turned out my return was REJECTED but my tax software didn't notify me! The acceptance was just for the submission, not the actual return. I waited 2 months thinking everything was fine before I finally got through to an IRS agent who told me they never actually received my return for processing! I had to refile and it delayed my refund by 3 months. Step 1: Double check with your tax software that there weren't any rejection notices you missed. Step 2: Verify your e-file status with the IRS directly. Step 3: Don't assume everything is fine just because you got an initial acceptance message.

Has anyone had experience with Pathways Bank's business accounts versus personal accounts? Do they process deposits differently? I'm wondering if having a business account might delay things or if they prioritize one type over another?

Word of caution: Pathways had a system glitch last tax season that was showing phantom pending deposits. Think of it like a mirage in the desert - you see water but it's not really there. Several customers (myself included) saw pending IRS deposits that later disappeared. The bank explained that their system was incorrectly flagging certain ACH identifier codes. If you see a pending deposit appear and then vanish, don't panic - call the bank directly and have them verify with their back-office processing department.