Is anyone else noticing that the PATH Act processing seems especially slow this year? I filed on February 12th, got the PATH hold as expected, but I'm still waiting with no updates whatsoever. No letters, no transcript changes, nothing! I'm starting to wonder if there's an unannounced delay affecting everyone or if it's just bad luck for some of us?

Don't assume no letter means you're in the clear. The IRS has been severely understaffed this season, and I've seen cases where review letters were sent 8-10 weeks after filing. Some taxpayers never receive a letter at all until they get a CP05 notice saying their refund is being held pending review. If you filed MFJ for the first time and claimed refundable credits, your return has a higher statistical chance of being pulled for review. Check your transcript weekly and don't count on that refund money until it's actually in your account.

Be careful about checking too frequently. According to the IRS website FAQs, transcripts typically update once per week, usually on Friday nights/Saturday mornings. I've been tracking this for several years and found that obsessively checking doesn't make it go faster. In fact, some have reported being temporarily locked out of their accounts for too many login attempts. Best to check once per week, preferably on Saturday mornings when the weekly cycle completes.

OMG I was freaking out about this exact thing last month! After verification, my transcript updated in 7 days - I was so happy I actually cried! The relief was incredible. My husband thought I was crazy but he didn't understand how stressful the waiting game was. Just hang in there - it WILL update, and when it does, the refund usually follows pretty quickly after that. Sending good vibes your way!

I don't think location actually matters for processing speed. The IRS doesn't prioritize by state - they process returns based on filing method, credits claimed, and verification needs. I verified my identity last year and it took exactly 9 weeks to get my refund, just like they said it would. All these "faster in Texas" claims seem like coincidence rather than actual IRS procedure.

I must respectfully disagree with the previous comment. While the IRS doesn't officially acknowledge regional prioritization, there is substantial evidence suggesting processing variations by service center. The TIGTA report from December 2024 indicated that the Austin Service Center (handling Texas returns) had a 22% faster processing time for post-verification returns compared to the national average. This isn't coincidental - it's related to staffing levels and workload distribution across centers.

Have you checked for a 570 code? That's an additional account action pending. Or a TC 420 for examination? Those would explain the delay. Without transcript access, it's difficult to diagnose. I'm concerned the divorce might have triggered additional review protocols.

The community wisdom here is that identity verification adds significant time to processing. Most people report 6-9 weeks after verification before seeing movement. I verified on February 8th and saw my first transcript update on March 29th. My deposit arrived on April 3rd. The silence is normal but frustrating. The system just takes time to work through the backlog.

I dealt with this exact situation on January 15th this year. The key distinction is between 'Home of Record' (military administrative term) and 'State of Legal Residence' (tax term). For tax purposes, your military income is only taxable in your state of legal residence. If you've maintained California as your legal residence (kept CA driver's license, still vote there, intend to return), then you file as a CA resident and MO nonresident. You'll need to file Form 540NR for California and Form MO-NRI for Missouri. On the Missouri form, you'll exclude military income under the SCRA exemption. The deadline for filing is April 15th, 2024, so you still have time to get this sorted correctly.

I was in a similar situation with Washington (home of record) and Virginia (stationed). Much easier than your situation though since Washington has no income tax! But the principle is the same as others have mentioned - it's about where you're legally domiciled, not where you're physically stationed. Just like when I moved from Texas to Virginia but kept Texas as my legal residence, you need to be careful about which state you've established as your actual legal domicile. So relieved when I finally figured it all out last year!