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Be careful about assuming the Deposit Date means it's guaranteed. I had a DDD appear on my Account Transcript last year, but then a Code 971 Notice Issued appeared the next day, followed by a Code 420 Examination Indicator. The IRS ended up holding my refund for an additional 60 days for income verification. Just make sure to keep checking your transcript until the money actually hits your account.
According to the IRS2Go app guidelines and the IRS.gov refund status page, you should actually see your deposit within 24 hours before or after the listed date. The TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov site mentions that banks sometimes hold deposits for 1-2 business days even after receiving them from the IRS. You might want to check both your transcript and WMR tool simultaneously as they sometimes update at different times.
Be careful about counting on that refund for immediate expenses! Last year I was in the same boat, filed February 15th with EIC and CTC. My return got randomly selected for review and I didn't get my refund until MAY. I had to take out a high-interest loan to cover expenses I'd planned to use my refund for. Now I never plan essential payments around expected refund dates.
The IRS Processing Pipeline for PATH Act returns (EIC/CTC) has distinct phases that aren't visible in WMR. Initial verification, fraud screening, income verification, and final processing each take 5-7 days on average. Returns accepted February 13-15 are currently in the final distribution queue according to multiple reports on this sub. The DDD (Direct Deposit Date) assignment typically happens in batches, with most February second-week filers receiving deposits between March 20-27.
Been through this last month. Cycle 05 here too. Had clean codes. Checked obsessively. Got my 846 code on Friday update. Deposit hit Tuesday. No last-minute issues. System worked as expected. PATH Act isn't affecting current processing. You're in good shape. Just need patience. Almost there.
According to Internal Revenue Manual 21.4.1.3(7), returns with consecutive transcript updates showing normal processing codes without examination indicators are classified as "pipeline returns" that typically proceed to completion without additional review. Per the Taxpayer Advocate Service 2023 Annual Report to Congress (p.84-85), only 8.2% of returns are selected for additional verification after passing initial processing stages. Are you claiming any credits that might trigger additional scrutiny under IRC ยง32(k) or ยง24(g)? That could potentially affect your timeline.
I noticed you mentioned filing on February 26th, which means you're approaching the 6-week mark. Did your tax preparer specifically say they would be printing the check themselves? I'm asking because on March 18th, the IRS announced they were experiencing delays with paper check processing for returns filed between February 15th and March 1st due to a printing facility issue. Have you created an account on the IRS website to view your transcript? That would show the exact status including whether a check has been mailed.
Have you verified if your preparer used a Refund Transfer product for your return? These products (sometimes called Refund Anticipation Checks or RACs) involve a temporary bank account that receives your refund, deducts the tax preparation fees, then issues you a new check. This adds significant processing time. Also, did you check if you have any offsets that might be reducing your refund amount? Student loans, child support, or other government debts can cause delays as the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service processes these adjustments before releasing funds.
Khalid Howes
Don't use public wifi when accessing the IRS site. I did that at Starbucks last month and my account got locked for 72 hours. They flagged it as suspicious activity. Had to call and verify my identity all over again. Not worth the hassle.
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Ben Cooper
The IRS website works best during off-peak hours. Try accessing between 6-8am Eastern. Fewer users online then. System response is faster. Browser matters too. Chrome works better than Firefox. Edge is surprisingly reliable. Make sure you're using the most current version. Old browsers get rejected by the security system.
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