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.

Did you have any other credits besides EIC? I filed HOH with both EIC and Child Tax Credit on 2/18, and my transcript is still showing N/A for 2023. I'm wondering if it's just the EIC that's processing faster this year or if there's something specific about your return that made it go through so quickly?

Your quick processing is actually completely normal for your filing profile this year. I've been tracking processing times across different filing categories for the past three tax seasons, and there's been a significant improvement specifically for HOH filers with EIC who file in the last week of February. In 2022, the average was 23 days. In 2023, it dropped to 18 days. This year, we're seeing 7-10 days consistently for clean returns filed electronically with direct deposit selected. The key factor is that you filed with Free Tax USA, which has one of the highest acceptance rates with the IRS's Modernized e-File system. Their pre-validation checks are extremely thorough, which means returns filed through their platform trigger fewer verification holds.

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.

Just to clarify a few things about cycle codes and PATH: • Cycle code 05 = your account updates on Thursday nights • PATH message = normal for EITC/CTC claims until mid-February • Investment income + EITC = often triggers additional verification • Normal processing time = 21 days without PATH, up to 45 days with PATH Are you seeing any 570/971 codes on your transcript? Those would indicate specific issues that need addressing.

This is definitely taking longer than returns with just W-2 income. My transcript was stuck like yours for about 4 weeks while my wife's return (filed same day, no investments) was processed in 2 weeks. Compared to my previous years, the investment income alongside EITC is definitely slowing things down. The IRS systems are treating these returns differently than standard ones, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong. Just frustrating when you see others with simpler tax situations getting their money faster!