Anyone getting Federal Refund delays in 2025 tax season?

Has anyone else's Federal refund been delayed lately? I e-filed through TaxAct on January 29th and my return was accepted right away. It's been over 3 weeks now, and I have my refund set for Direct Deposit, but still nothing! The IRS "Where's My Refund" tool just says it's still processing. I was counting on getting that money by now to pay some bills. Last year I got my refund within 10 days of filing. Anyone else experiencing delays this tax season or know what might be causing this?

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18 comments

Freya Thomsen

•8M

These delays are pretty common this year. The IRS is experiencing higher than normal processing volumes due to some new verification procedures they implemented. Based on what I'm seeing, many people who filed in late January/early February are waiting longer than the typical 21-day timeframe. Have you checked your tax transcript on the IRS website? Sometimes it will show processing codes that the "Where's My Refund" tool doesn't display. You might see if there's a code 570 (indicating a hold) or 971 (notice issued). If you're still within the 21-day window, I'd suggest waiting a bit longer before getting too concerned.

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Freya Thomsen

•8M

You can access your tax transcript by going to IRS.gov and searching for "Get Transcript Online." You'll need to create an account if you don't already have one, which requires some verification steps including a credit card number or loan account number (they don't charge anything, it's just for verification). Once you're logged in, request the "Account Transcript" for 2024. Look for cycle codes and transaction codes that might give you more information about your refund status. The codes can be a bit confusing, but there are resources online that explain what each one means.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

I was in the same boat waiting for weeks with no updates! I finally used https://taxr.ai to check what was going on. It analyzed my return and found a small discrepancy in how my retirement contributions were reported that was likely causing the delay. I was able to figure out exactly why my refund was stuck instead of just wondering and stressing about it! The tool actually showed me that I had a code on my transcript that meant "additional review" which explained everything.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

It doesn't access your IRS account directly - you upload your tax documents and it uses AI to analyze them and compare against IRS rules. It's completely secure and doesn't store your personal info after the analysis is complete. For cost, it's actually quite reasonable for what you get - way less than what a tax pro would charge for the same service. They have different options depending on what you need, but it was worth every penny to finally understand what was going on with my refund instead of checking the IRS site 10 times a day.

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

I just wanted to update everyone! I tried that taxr.ai site that was mentioned and it was super helpful. I uploaded my return and it immediately flagged that my employer had submitted a corrected W-2 that I didn't know about. That small change was causing my refund to be held for review. At least now I know what's happening instead of being in the dark! I was able to call my employer and confirm they sent a corrected form, so I'm not just sitting around wondering anymore.

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StarSeeker

•8M

If you're still waiting and need to talk to an actual human at the IRS (which is nearly impossible these days), I used this service called Claimyr https://claimyr.com that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a cool demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c that shows how it works. Saved me hours of sitting on hold! The agent I talked to explained that my refund was delayed because they were verifying some education credits I claimed, but assured me it would be processed within another week.

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StarSeeker

•8M

It doesn't just call for you - it uses some kind of technology that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. When it's about to connect to an agent, it calls your phone and connects you. You still talk to the IRS yourself. The IRS wait time has been crazy this year, sometimes 2-3 hours or more. I was skeptical too, but it legitimately works. I think they use some algorithm to predict the best times to call based on wait data. All I know is I actually got to speak to someone instead of getting the "call volume too high" message over and over.

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Zara Ahmed

•8M

Wow I need to apologize publicly. After posting my skeptical comment, I was so frustrated with waiting that I tried the Claimyr service. It ACTUALLY WORKED. Within 25 minutes I was talking to a real IRS agent who looked up my return and told me there was a discrepancy between what I reported for my self-employment income and what was on my 1099-NEC forms. Would have NEVER known this without talking to them. The agent told me exactly what to do next. Worth every penny to finally get answers instead of checking WMR for the 1000th time!

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Luca Esposito

•8M

Recovery Rebate Credit can definitely trigger additional review, especially if the amount you're claiming doesn't match IRS records. The IRS is extra careful with these credits because there were a lot of issues with improper claims (both accidental and fraudulent) during the pandemic years. The good news is that even with the delay, you should eventually get the refund if you're legitimately entitled to it. But it might take 6-8 weeks instead of the usual 21 days.

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