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.

Just wanted to share some good news - I was in EXACTLY your situation last month. CTC payment hit my account while my refund was MIA. I called the IRS (took forever to get through 😅) and found out my return was just sitting in a queue waiting for review. Nothing wrong with it! Three days after I called, my refund was approved and I had the money a week later. Sometimes just making contact with them seems to move things along. Hang in there - the money is coming!

According to the IRS.gov website FAQ section, this is actually normal. I was researching this exact situation yesterday because I'm experiencing the same thing. The IRS website explains that the Advanced Child Tax Credit system and regular refund processing operate on different timelines and verification protocols. If you check the IRS2Go app and the status still shows as processing, it means your return is still moving through the system but hasn't been flagged for any major issues.

Has anyone else noticed how impossible it is to get actual clarification from the IRS when you have questions about Form 8888 or split refunds? I spent three days trying to reach someone who could explain why my split refund was delayed last year. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in under 30 minutes who confirmed there was a verification flag on my account due to the split refund request. Wouldn't it be nice if the IRS actually communicated these holds clearly instead of making us play detective with our own money?

Quick q - did u get any weird codes on ur transcript before the DDD showed up? Mine's stuck on 570/971 combo and I filed around the same time as u. No movement for 2 wks now. Wondering if CashApp users get flagged differently?

I was in the same boat last year! My brother got his refund a full week before mine, even though I filed three days earlier. It's way less stressful than trying to get a payment plan with the IRS though - I did that in 2021 and it was a nightmare compared to just waiting for a refund. Your money is definitely coming, the banking system just processes things at different speeds. Chime and other online banks are almost always faster than traditional banks, sometimes by several days.

Have you perhaps considered checking your tax transcript instead of just WMR? It might possibly give you more detailed information about where your return is in the processing pipeline. Sometimes, if I'm not mistaken, the transcript will update with a DDD before WMR does. You could also, if you're comfortable with it, try calling the IRS directly at the account management number, though you may need to be somewhat persistent due to high call volumes this time of year. It seems that patience is unfortunately the main solution in these situations.

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.