Any estimates on when my tax refund will arrive? Getting anxious!

The timeframe you're experiencing is completely normal for this point in the filing season. The IRS typically says to expect your refund within 21 days of acceptance for electronically filed returns, though most direct deposits happen in the 14-18 day range. Have you checked the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website or the IRS2Go app? That will give you the most accurate update on your specific refund status. It shows three stages: Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent. If your return was accepted on February 4th, you should be seeing movement on that tracker soon. Larger refunds sometimes get additional review, which can add a few days to the processing time, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. Unless you claimed certain credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit (which have mandatory delays), your refund should be coming soon.

I had the exact same anxiety last year waiting for my refund! After trying to call the IRS multiple times and just getting the "high call volume" message, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me track my refund status and figure out why it was delayed. They analyzed my tax transcript and explained exactly where my return was in the process. Turned out I had a simple code on my account that was causing a brief review - nothing serious! But just knowing what was happening made the wait less stressful. They also have this cool timeline prediction feature that was pretty accurate about when I'd actually get my money. Might be worth checking out if you're getting anxious about the wait.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai that was mentioned above and it was actually really helpful! I was stuck on "still processing" for weeks, but the transcript analysis showed me exactly why. Turns out I had a simple math error the IRS was correcting (I apparently transposed two numbers on one of my W-2s) and the system showed me the exact date the correction would be completed and when my refund would be sent. Got my direct deposit exactly on the day they predicted! Would have saved myself a lot of anxiety if I'd known about this sooner instead of checking the refund tracker obsessively every day for three weeks straight lol.

If you're really concerned about your refund, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual IRS agent on the phone. I spent literally DAYS trying to get through the regular IRS number last year when my refund was delayed. Claimyr basically waits on hold for you and calls you when an IRS agent is about to pick up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it's genius. I got through to an actual person in about 45 minutes after trying for days on my own. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my refund and when to expect it.

Ok I have to eat my words here. After doubting that Claimyr thing above, I was so desperate about my delayed refund that I tried it anyway. Honestly shocked that it actually worked! Was connected to an IRS agent in about an hour (after trying unsuccessfully for two weeks on my own). Turns out my refund was delayed because of an identity verification issue that I knew nothing about. The agent walked me through verifying my identity right there on the phone, and my refund was approved literally the next day. If I hadn't gotten through to someone, I probably would've been waiting for months without knowing what was wrong. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind alone.

From my experience, if you e-filed and are getting direct deposit, you should have your refund within 3 weeks max unless there's an issue with your return. Have you checked your tax transcript on the IRS website? That usually shows more detailed info than the Where's My Refund tool. Also, if you claimed certain credits like the Earned Income Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, or Recovery Rebate Credit, the IRS automatically holds those returns for additional review - no matter how perfect your return is. This is for fraud prevention.

Does anyone know if tax refunds are coming slower this year in general? I filed on Jan 29 and still waiting while last year I got my refund in like 10 days?