DDD Today with Trace Number but No Deposit - Where's My Refund?

Happens all the time tbh. Banks don't always process IRS deposits on the DDD. Some take 24-48 hrs after the DDD to actually hit ur acct. Depends on ur bank's processing schedule. Mine usually posts by 5am but my roommate's credit union takes a full extra day. Wouldn't stress yet, but def keep an eye on it.

What bank do you use? I noticed with my refund on March 15th that certain banks like Chase and Bank of America typically post same-day, while smaller banks and credit unions can take until the next business day. Also, did you use a tax preparer that takes fees from your refund? That adds another step and usually delays by a day.

According to IRS Publication 1544, a trace number only indicates the payment has been scheduled, not that it's been processed by your financial institution. When I was in your situation last month, I spent 4 hours trying to get through to the IRS only to be disconnected repeatedly. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to connect with an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed my payment was sent but explained that banks can take 1-5 business days to process, even with a direct deposit. Saved me days of frustration and uncertainty.

I had this exact scenario with my refund last month. The ACH transfer protocol used by the Treasury has several status phases: Originated, Pending, and Settled. Your trace number shows it's been Originated, but it might still be in the Pending phase at the Federal Reserve level before hitting your bank. In my case, the DDD was on a Wednesday, but the funds weren't available until Thursday afternoon, despite having a trace number. The trace number is primarily for the IRS's internal tracking system.

I was like a watched pot that never boils checking my account every 5 minutes when this happened to me. I eventually used https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript, and it explained that the trace number means the IRS has completed their part of the process, but the money is still traveling through the banking system - like a package that's been shipped but not delivered. The tool decoded all my transcript codes and explained exactly what was happening with my refund. Made me feel so much better knowing it wasn't lost in some IRS black hole.

If it doesn't show up by tomorrow, here's what you need to do: 1. First, contact your bank and specifically ask if they see a pending ACH deposit from the Treasury 2. If they don't see it, wait until 5 business days after your DDD 3. After 5 business days, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and request a trace on your refund 4. Be prepared with your filing status, SSN, exact refund amount, and tax year I'm concerned that if you used a tax preparer with refund transfer, this could add additional delays because it goes to their bank account first, then to yours after they take their fees.

Isn't it crazy how we all count on these refunds so much but have so little visibility into the process? I've learned from the community here that the DDD is really just the starting line, not the finish line. Have you checked your bank's typical posting times? My credit union always posts ACH transfers at 3am, so even though my DDD was technically yesterday, it didn't show up until early this morning. Might be worth asking other customers of your bank what their experience has been?