Anyone waiting on Pathward Bank to transfer refund funds? DDD 2/22 but nothing on my Netspend yet

I work with tax returns every day. When the IRS issues a Direct Deposit Date (DDD), this means they've sent the payment to the financial institution on that date. However, each bank has different processing timeframes. Pathward Bank (formerly MetaBank) typically takes 3-5 business days after the DDD to post funds to accounts like Netspend. First, double-check your transcript to confirm code 846 (refund issued) is present with the 2/22 date. Also verify that the account number listed on your return matches your Netspend account. If the account numbers don't match, the deposit will be rejected and the IRS will mail a paper check instead (adding 4-6 weeks to the process). If everything looks correct, I'd give it until the end of this week since we're still within the normal processing window. If nothing appears by then, you can contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040, but expect long wait times. You might want to try using https://claimyr.com to get through faster. Also, for future reference, you can use https://taxr.ai to decode your tax transcript and get clear explanations of all your codes and dates without having to guess what everything means.

I was in this exact spot last year and was going CRAZY trying to decipher my transcript and figure out why my refund wasn't showing up yet. After wasting hours scrolling through reddit posts and tax forums, I found https://taxr.ai and it was honestly a game changer. Instead of playing detective and trying to guess what all those codes meant, it just spelled everything out for me clearly. Showed me exactly what was happening with my refund and when to expect it. Saved me so much stress and time! Seriously recommend it to anyone dealing with IRS confusion.

Was in the same boat last month! My DDD was 1/17 with Pathward (for my Netspend card too) and I didn't get it until 1/23. I was freaking out and calling everyone. Finally called the IRS but was on hold for like 2 hours and gave up. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me a callback from an IRS agent in like 20 minutes! Agent confirmed my money was sent and it was just Pathward being slow. The callback service cost a bit but saved me hours of waiting on hold and my sanity. Money showed up the next day actually. Worth it when you're desperate to know what's happening with your refund.

Sadly this is pretty normal with Pathward. My DDD was 2/15 and I didnt see a penny hit my account until 2/21. They always sit on the money for a few days to make interest on it before they release it to us peasants 🙄 Their customer service will never admit this though!

I'm having the EXACT same issue! My DDD was 2/21, it's supposed to go to my CashApp which uses Pathward, and still nothing. I'm starting to get worried because I need to pay my car note next week. Called the IRS and got nowhere. Who can we complain to about Pathward holding our money??

Last year my refund from pathward came exactly 4 business days after my DDD. So if your DDD was 2/22 (Thursday) then count: Friday(1), Monday(2), Tuesday(3), Wednesday(4)... I'd expect to see it today or tomorrow. Their fine print probably says they can take up to 5 business days. Hang in there!

Don't stress too much yet. Mine took 4 business days after DDD to hit my account through Pathward last year. They're just slow. If you don't see anything by the 5th business day, then start making calls.

I had this problem for THREE WEEKS last year and it was a nightmare. Called IRS multiple times with no help. Finally I checked my transcript more carefully (I used taxr.ai this time around which helped decode everything) and realized they had sent my refund to the wrong account number!! One digit was off from my Netspend card. Had to request a trace on the refund and ended up waiting an extra month. Double check your account number on the transcript!!!!

Switched away from Netspend/Pathward this year specifically because of this issue. Got my refund through my credit union 1 day after DDD. Pathward is notorious for holding tax refunds the full 5 business days they're allowed to. They make interest on YOUR money during that time.

I think there might be a wider issue with Pathward right now. I'm in 3 Facebook tax groups and seeing tons of people with DDDs from mid-February still waiting on their Pathward deposits (Netspend, CashApp, etc). Some people are saying they called and were told there's a processing backlog, but who knows if that's true or just what customer service is saying.

here's a stupid q but did you check that your netspend card isnt expired? happened to me last year... my card expired in january and they tried to deposit my refund to it in february 🤦‍♀️ had to get a new card and wait for them to redeposit

I never use prepaid cards for tax refunds anymore bcuz they ALWAYS take longer than my regular bank. My BFF uses Netspend and her refund took 5 full business days after the DDD last year. Not worth the stress IMO.

Last year I absolutely needed to know what was going on with my refund so I called the IRS every day for a week. Spent literally HOURS on hold and kept getting disconnected. Was about to lose my mind til someone told me about this app called Claimyr (claimyr.com). You pay them and they get you a callback from the IRS without waiting on hold forever. Totally worked and the IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what was up with my refund and when to expect it. Best money I ever spent during tax season because I was going crazy wondering where my money was.

Pathward is known for this. They literally hold the money for as long as legally allowed to make interest on it. My advice is to never use prepaid cards for tax refunds if you can avoid it.

Im dealing with this EXACT situation right now. DDD was 2/21, transcript shows refund issued, using Netspend/Pathward, and still nothing. Called Pathward yesterday and they gave me some BS about "processing time" and "up to 5 business days" 🙄 Like, just give me MY money already!!!

PRO TIP: Next year, avoid this headache by using a real bank account instead of prepaid cards. Credit unions especially tend to process tax refunds faster because they don't play games with holding periods like Pathward does. I switched to a local credit union last year and got my refund literally the morning of my DDD. Night and day difference from when I used prepaid cards.

I'm going through the exact same thing! DDD was 2/20, Netspend/Pathward, and still waiting. It's so stressful when you're counting on that money. I've been checking my account obsessively every few hours. Reading all these comments makes me feel better knowing it's normal for Pathward to be this slow, but it doesn't make the waiting any easier. Really hoping mine hits tomorrow since it'll be the 5th business day. Thanks for posting this - at least we're all in this together!

I'm in the exact same boat! Filed early February, got my DDD of 2/24, and my Netspend card (through Pathward) still hasn't received anything. It's now been 4 business days and I'm starting to get anxious. I called Netspend yesterday and they said the same thing - no pending deposits showing up. It's so frustrating because I have bills due and was counting on this refund. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually making me feel a bit better knowing this is just how Pathward operates. Seems like 4-5 business days is the norm with them. Still doesn't make the waiting any less stressful though! Thanks for starting this thread - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this delay.

I'm dealing with the exact same situation! My DDD was 2/23 and I'm still waiting on my Netspend card through Pathward. It's so frustrating because I have rent due next week and was really counting on this refund. I called Netspend three times yesterday and they keep saying they don't see any pending deposits, which just makes me more anxious. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really helpful though - seems like 4-5 business days is totally normal for Pathward even though it feels like forever when you're waiting for your money. I'm going to try to be patient until Friday since that would be the 5th business day, but this waiting game is seriously stressful. Thanks for posting this question because it's reassuring to know so many other people are going through the same delay with Pathward right now!

I'm going through this EXACT same thing right now! DDD was 2/21, Netspend card through Pathward, and still absolutely nothing. I've been checking my account like every 30 minutes hoping something will magically appear. Called Netspend twice and they keep saying no pending deposits, which just makes me more paranoid that something went wrong. But after reading all these comments I'm feeling a lot better knowing this is just standard Pathward behavior - they really do seem to take the full 4-5 business days every single time. It's so frustrating though because I have car insurance due tomorrow and was really counting on this money. Why do they get to earn interest on OUR refunds for almost a week?? Ugh. Anyway, thanks for posting this because I was starting to think my refund got lost or something. Glad to know we're all suffering through this Pathward delay together!

I'm going through the EXACT same situation! My DDD was 2/22 and I'm still waiting on my Netspend card through Pathward too. It's so reassuring to read all these comments and realize this is just normal Pathward behavior - I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong with my refund! I've been obsessively checking my account every few hours and called Netspend twice yesterday with no luck. It's incredibly frustrating that they can just sit on our money for up to 5 business days while earning interest on it. I have bills due next week and was really counting on this refund. From what everyone's saying here, it sounds like we just have to wait it out until the full 5 business day window is up. Definitely switching to a real bank account next year after this experience! Thanks for posting this - it's good to know we're all dealing with the same Pathward delays right now.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! My DDD was 2/23 and I'm using Netspend through Pathward as well - still no sign of my refund. I've been checking my account multiple times a day hoping it would magically appear. Called Netspend customer service yesterday and they gave me the same response about no pending deposits showing up. It's really stressful when you're depending on that money for bills and expenses coming due. After reading through everyone's experiences here though, I'm feeling a lot more reassured that this is just typical Pathward timing - seems like they consistently take the full 4-5 business days they're allowed to hold our funds. It's frustrating that they can earn interest on our money during that time while we're left wondering if something went wrong. Thanks for starting this thread - it's comforting to know so many of us are going through the same delay right now with Pathward. Definitely considering switching to a regular bank account next year to avoid this stress!