April 5th Filers Check-In - PATH Act Delays Again This Year?

04/05 filer here too! Ur def not alone. Been thru this 3 yrs in a row now. The PATH Act causes major delays for April filers bc of the huge backlog from Feb/Mar. IRS is swamped rn but most of us should see movement in the next 7-10 days based on prev yrs. DDD usually comes ~21 days after processing starts, but April filers tend to get pushed to 25-30 days. Hang in there! 👍

I was possibly in a similar situation last year. Filed April 7th and it seemed like I was waiting forever while earlier filers got their refunds. I finally tried https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it explained that my cycle code (05) meant I was in the Friday processing batch. It correctly predicted my refund would hit the following Wednesday, which was a huge relief since I was starting to get worried about possible delays or audits. Maybe worth checking out if you have access to your transcript?

Fellow 0405er here! Have you checked your account transcript yet? Sometimes WMR is way behind but your transcript will show codes that indicate movement. I've been playing "IRS code bingo" for years now 😂 and those transcripts usually tell you what's happening before WMR updates.

I've been stuck in PATH Act purgatory for THREE WEEKS now. Called the IRS Taxpayer Assistance line multiple times but couldn't get through due to high call volume. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to connect with an IRS agent. The representative confirmed my return was selected for additional verification due to the Earned Income Credit claimed, but there were no issues flagged. They estimated processing would complete within 7 business days. Worth the fee to actually speak to someone instead of waiting in uncertainty.

According to irs.gov/refunds, the PATH Act specifically requires the IRS to hold EITC and ACTC refunds until mid-February. However, April filers are experiencing delays for different reasons. The IRS processes returns in batches based on cycle codes, with the last digit indicating your weekly processing day. Code ending in "05" means Friday processing. Current processing times for non-complex returns average 21 days, but can extend to 45+ days during peak season (which April definitely is). The "Where's My Refund" tool updates overnight, so checking multiple times per day won't show new information.

Isn't it concerning how the PATH Act was supposed to reduce fraud but instead just creates these massive delays every year? What's the point of making us wait when they're not even reviewing most returns during that time? I've been tracking this for years and April filers consistently wait longer than the 21 days the IRS claims. Has anyone actually gotten their refund within the promised timeframe if they filed in April? The system seems designed to punish later filers even though we're still well within the deadline.

I filed on April 5th, 2023 last year and received my refund on April 26th, 2023 - exactly 21 days later. This year I filed on April 5th, 2024 and my transcript just updated today (April 19th, 2024) with an 846 code showing a direct deposit date of April 24th, 2024. Based on my experience, late March/early April filers typically see 18-21 day processing times, with some extending to 25 days during particularly busy periods. If you filed electronically with direct deposit, I'd expect movement by next Friday at the latest.

The PATH Act's impact on refund timing is often misunderstood. The mandatory hold only applies to returns with EITC or ACTC filed before mid-February. The delays April filers experience are due to normal processing queue dynamics. The IRS utilizes a Master File processing system that operates on weekly cycles. When you're assigned cycle code 20241605, the "05" indicates Friday processing, while "2024" is the year and "16" is the processing week. Many April filers receive cycle codes ending in 05, placing them in the Friday batch, which typically means refunds are issued the following Wednesday.

Just wanted to share my success story! Filed 4/5, WMR showed processing for 16 days, then suddenly updated to approved yesterday. Refund hit my account this morning! No special tricks - just patience. Check your bank accounts, fellow 0405ers!