I'm a former tax professional and this situation raises immediate concerns. The average tax preparation fee for a return with dependents is approximately $273, with complex returns reaching around $515. A $3,000 discrepancy is 583% higher than even the most expensive standard preparation fees. Additionally, the SSN error for a dependent typically triggers a Form 11652C verification letter within exactly 21 days of filing. You should immediately request Form 8821 (Tax Information Authorization) and Form 4506 (Request for Copy of Tax Return) to see exactly what was filed. In my 8 years of practice, I've seen similar cases result in preparer penalties under IRC Section 6694 and 6695.

Have you checked if your preparer is even properly licensed? This sounds worse than what happened to my cousin - her preparer took an extra $500 as an undisclosed "processing fee" but at least they didn't mess up any information on the return itself.

I'm not entirely convinced there's a specific issue with TurboTax or Credit Karma... It might be that they have more users, so we just hear about more delays from their customers. I've been watching these forums for several tax seasons, and it seems like the delays affect different preparation methods each year. Perhaps it's more about what's on your return than how you filed it.

Per IRS Publication 1345 (Authorized e-file Provider Requirements), all authorized e-file providers must meet the same transmission standards regardless of consumer software brand. The differentiation in processing times is more likely related to the Refund Integrity Verification Operations (RIVO) as outlined in Internal Revenue Manual 25.25.3, which selects returns for additional review based on specific criteria unrelated to filing method. Your frustration is completely understandable given the delays.

Based on what I've gathered about the 2024 CTC delivery methods: • Not everyone will receive paper checks - it depends on individual circumstances • Paper checks are more likely if you're a first-time CTC claimant • Paper checks may be issued if there were issues with previous direct deposits • The IRS sometimes issues paper checks if you've had recent address changes • Some tax software preparation methods can trigger paper checks I'd recommend checking your tax transcript if possible to see if there are any specific codes indicating how your refund will be delivered.

I called the IRS exactly 3 days ago about this exact issue. I was told that for Tax Year 2023 (filing in 2024), approximately 17% of Child Tax Credit refunds are being issued as paper checks instead of direct deposit. The agent said this is part of their enhanced verification process that began on January 29, 2024. If you filed after February 15, 2024, you should expect 21 days for processing plus an additional 5-7 days for mail delivery if you're in the group receiving checks.

I'm on day 35 🙃 Filed Feb 1st. Called IRS twice and couldn't get through. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get past the hold times - got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. Found out my return was just stuck in the verification queue and nothing was wrong. Agent manually released it and I got my DD two days later. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get things moving.

Check your tax year 2023 account transcript, not return transcript. Account transcript will show any holds or processing codes. If you see code 570, that's a hold. If you see 971, that's a notice being sent. 846 is the refund issued code you're waiting for.

WARNING about prior year refund checks: • They DO NOT notify you when they mail it • Checks CAN be sent to old addresses if you moved • Mail forwarding DOESN'T always catch these government checks • Replacement checks take 6+ WEEKS if lost Make sure your address is current! Learned this the hard way when my check went to my old apartment. Such a headache getting it reissued.

I think mine took about 8 weeks from processing to mailbox, maybe a bit longer. It's hard to be sure exactly when they started processing. The check came right when I had almost given up. This was for a 2020 return I filed late last year. The amount was exactly what I expected, at least.