Contacted Congressman About Delayed Refund - TAS Says I'll Hear Back by July 9th

I've been researching this situation for a while now... and I think what you're experiencing might be part of a larger processing delay pattern. The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) typically gets involved when there are significant hardships or system failures. Once they request a refund release, it usually takes about 2-4 weeks for the actual refund to process, though it could be faster in some cases. I would recommend checking your tax transcript daily if possible to see when updates occur.

Have you been able to access your tax transcript to see what's actually happening behind the scenes? Many times, these delays occur because of verification holds that aren't clearly communicated to taxpayers. Have you considered using a tool like https://taxr.ai to interpret your transcript codes? It might give you insight into what's happening with your return and why it required TAS intervention. Could this help you understand the timeline better than just waiting for the July 9th update?

This TAS situation is similar to what happened with my sister-in-law's return, but she waited nearly 3 months longer than you before getting help. If you need to actually speak with someone at the IRS about your case before July 9th, I'd suggest trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). Unlike regular hold services, they actually get you through to a live IRS agent who can see your file details. Much more effective than calling the regular IRS number where you might wait hours or never get through at all.

What you're describing is a Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) case with an Operations Assistance Request (OAR) filed on your behalf. The July 9th date is what's known as the "TEFRA date" - the deadline by which the IRS must respond to the TAS request. This doesn't necessarily mean your refund will be issued by then, just that they must provide a substantive response about your case status by that date.

I'm somewhat curious about what might have caused such a long delay with your return. Was there perhaps anything unusual about your filing this year? Sometimes certain credits or deductions can trigger additional verification processes, especially for international situations or if there were significant changes from previous years.

Instead of just waiting until July 9th (which feels like forever in refund time, I know!), you might want to call the TAS office directly. The advocate assigned to your case should be able to give you more specific information than what was in that email. Sometimes these things move faster than expected - I've seen cases resolved in days rather than weeks after TAS involvement. No harm in checking in with them directly! 😉

I had a similar situation on April 15, 2023. My congressman's office received confirmation from TAS on May 2nd, 2023 that my refund would be processed. The actual deposit hit my account on May 17th, 2023 - exactly 15 days after TAS confirmed the release. The technical process involves the TAS issuing what's called an OAR (Operations Assistance Request) to the specific IRS department holding your return, which typically has a 5-10 business day response requirement.