My transcripts took 31 days to update last year compared to 14 days the year before. The IRS is processing about 1.5 million returns per day right now, and HOH status changes get flagged for additional review almost 100% of the time. If you compare this to other filing status changes like going from Single to Married Filing Jointly, those typically don't trigger the same level of scrutiny. The IRS considers HOH a high-risk area for errors, so they're extra careful with those returns.

I feel your anxiety! When I went through my divorce in 2022, I filed HOH for the first time and my refund was delayed for almost 8 weeks! I was checking my transcripts every single day (sometimes twice 😬) and driving myself crazy. I finally broke down and called the IRS after 6 weeks. They told me my return had been selected for a "routine review" of my filing status. Nothing was wrong, but they were verifying I qualified for HOH. The relief I felt after that call was incredible - just knowing what was happening made the wait easier. My transcripts updated the following week. Hang in there!

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.

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.

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.

I'm sort of in a similar situation, but I think it might be because I filed with a tax preparer who uses SBTPG for refund transfers. It seems like sometimes this adds a bit of extra time to the whole process. In my case, I filed around January 29th and didn't see anything on SBTPG until maybe the first week of March? And then my refund came about 3 days after that. Hopefully yours is just moving through the system and will update soon.

FORGET the transcript for now and try this instead - call the IRS automated refund hotline at 1-800-829-1954! It sometimes has different/updated info compared to the WMR tool online. I was FURIOUS when nothing was showing up on my transcript for weeks but the phone system told me my refund was scheduled! Worth a shot since it takes 2 minutes and doesn't require waiting for an agent. Military families sometimes get routed differently in their systems too!