Anyone filing early February through Republic Bank received their refund yet?

Republic Bank has been notoriously slow this year according to several threads on r/tax and the Facebook tax groups. According to the IRS operations page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they're still working through a backlog from January. Your international status might add complexity, but it's not necessarily the cause of delay. Most people I've seen posting are experiencing similar delays regardless of their filing status.

Did you check your transcript online?? I filed Feb 3rd and NOTHING showed up on WMR for WEEKS but my transcript updated last Friday!! I was SO ANGRY thinking my return was lost in the void but turns out they were processing it the whole time! WMR is completely unreliable this year!

Let me walk you through what's likely happening with your return: 1. Republic Bank acts as a transmitter, not a processor - they simply forward your return to the IRS 2. Early February filers are experiencing 30-45 day processing times this year 3. International returns often go through additional verification steps 4. The WMR tool only updates at specific stages To get clarity on your situation, try using https://taxr.ai to analyze your transcript. It can identify processing codes that indicate where your return is in the pipeline and provide a more accurate timeline than WMR. For international filers specifically, it can identify common verification holds and explain what they mean for your timeline.

I might suggest... perhaps... checking if your return has been accepted by the IRS rather than just transmitted. Sometimes there's a distinction that people miss. If Republic Bank confirmed transmission, it doesn't necessarily mean the IRS has fully accepted it for processing. You could try calling the IRS refund hotline at 800-829-1954, though wait times may be... substantial during this time of year.

I was stuck in the same situation last month - way worse than last year when I filed through TurboTax. After getting nowhere for weeks, I used Claimyr to reach an actual IRS agent (https://www.claimyr.com). Compared to the 3+ hours I spent trying to call on my own before hanging up, I got through in about 25 minutes. The agent confirmed my return was just in standard processing and gave me an estimated completion date. At least I stopped obsessively checking WMR every hour!

According to IRS Publication 1345 section 7.1, the bank is only responsible for transmitting the return, not expediting processing. Their marketing suggests otherwise, but legally they're just a middleman. I was relieved when I finally understood this and stopped blaming Republic for the delay. The IRS is processing returns in the order received, with some exceptions for returns with certain credits as outlined in IRC 6402(m).

Be very careful with Republic Bank TPG processing! Last year my refund got stuck in their system for THREE WEEKS after the IRS released it. The IRS transcript showed "refund issued" but Republic claimed they never received it. Had to file a Case Inquiry Form with their Resolution Department using specific ACH trace numbers from the IRS. The issue was their internal Refund Clearing System (RCS) had flagged my account for "verification" but never actually reviewed it. Make sure you monitor both your IRS transcript AND Republic's portal.

Did you opt for fees taken from refund? That matters. Creates extra steps. Republic holds funds longer. Different processing path. Worth checking.