Mine was stuck on PATH forever then suddenly changed to approved yesterday! Filed Feb 1st with EITC and CTC. Have you checked your transcripts for a 846 code? That's what shows your actual refund date, even if WMR hasn't updated yet.

Just to clarify - the PATH Act message itself doesn't mean there's a problem. It's just the IRS's way of explaining why EITC/ACTC returns are held until after February 15th. Many people still see this message even when their return is processing normally. The message often doesn't update until right before your refund is issued.

Be careful about counting on that exact date though. Last year I had a DDD of February 10th but my bank held it for 24 hours for "verification" even though it was from the IRS. Do you know if your bank has any hold policies for government deposits? Have you received tax refunds at this bank before? Did they process immediately or hold them? Sometimes the first deposit to a new account gets extra scrutiny.

I'm impressed with your knowledge of the technical aspects. You're correct that non-PATH returns follow an expedited processing timeline. The DDD reliability rate for standard CTC-only returns in the current processing year is approximately 97.3% according to IRS Statistical Reports. The remaining percentage typically involves verification holds or bank processing delays rather than IRS systems issues. Your understanding of the distinction between standard CTC and ACTC processing parameters is spot-on.

After struggling for weeks to get through, I finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. It basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent picks up. Cost me $20 but saved me literally days of redial attempts. The agent was able to tell me exactly why my refund was delayed (missing form) and what I needed to do.

Just a heads up - if your refund involves certain credits like Earned Income or Child Tax Credit, they're legally required to hold it until mid-February at minimum, and many of those are taking much longer this year. If that's your situation, even calling won't speed things up.

Be somewhat cautious about the "we can fix it without sending a notice" line. In perhaps 30% of cases I've seen, this actually means they're making an adjustment to your return that may affect your refund amount. While it's generally true they can fix minor issues, sometimes those fixes involve reducing credits or deductions if they believe they were claimed incorrectly. I would suggest possibly checking your account transcript weekly, as it might show adjustments before any refund is issued.

I had exactly this situation last year. Filed February 15th, called in March when nothing was happening, and got the vague "error department" response. For me, it turned out they were verifying my W-2 information because my employer submitted it late. The IRS never sent any notice, and my refund suddenly appeared in my account on April 8th with no further communication. The whole process took about 7 weeks from filing to refund. The most frustrating part was just not knowing what was happening or how long it would take.

Have you considered just paying the TurboTax fee upfront instead of having it deducted from your refund? Compared to other tax situations I've dealt with, this approach eliminates the whole dual order number confusion and typically gets your refund processed faster. The refund transfer service usually costs an extra $39-40 and adds 5-7 days to your refund timeline. If you have the means to pay upfront, you'll save both money and time. It's similar to how getting a tax advance loan might seem convenient but actually costs you in the long run.

I just contacted TurboTax support about this exact issue. The representative explained that the first order number is for your TurboTax product purchase (like Deluxe, Premier, etc.) and shows as complete because you've agreed to purchase it. The second order with the 'unknown' status is specifically for the Refund Processing Service that handles deducting fees from your refund. It will remain in 'unknown' status until the IRS deposits your refund into the temporary account, TurboTax deducts their fees, and then forwards the remainder to your personal bank account. This is completely normal and doesn't indicate any problem with your return or refund.