Day 21 of Waiting - No DDD and Transcript Not Updated

This is totally normal for this time of year. The IRS says 21 days but that's more of a guideline than a guarantee. I'm on day 24 myself and just got my transcript to update yesterday. What's your filing date and did you claim any credits?

The 21-day timeline is just the minimum processing period. During peak filing season (which we're in right now), many returns take 30-45 days to process. According to the latest IRS processing statistics, approximately 32% of returns filed in late February/early March are experiencing delays due to increased verification procedures.

I filed on February 28th with TurboTax and claimed EIC and CTC. My WMR still shows one bar and says it's processing. I've been checking my transcript every morning but it still says N/A for 2024.

The EIC and CTC are exactly why you're waiting longer. Those credits trigger additional verification under the PATH Act. The IRS can't issue refunds with these credits before mid-February, and even after that date, they go through extra scrutiny. I was in the same boat last year - filed February 3rd and didn't get my refund until March 15th.

I've been using https://taxr.ai to analyze my transcript once it finally showed up. It explained all those confusing codes and actually predicted my deposit date correctly. Helped me understand why my return was taking longer than expected - turns out my address didn't match exactly what the IRS had on file. Might be worth checking once your transcript updates.

Don't stress yet. I'm a tax preparer and we're seeing longer wait times this year, especially for returns with credits. The IRS is still catching up from the pandemic backlog. If you're past 30 days with no updates, that's when you might want to call.

If you do need to call the IRS, save yourself hours of frustration and use Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). I spent 3 days trying to get through on my own and kept getting disconnected. Used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. Found out my return was just in normal processing but had been flagged for a quick review because of a mismatch with my W-2. Nothing serious but at least I knew what was happening!

Check your tax topic on WMR. If it's Tax Topic 152, that's actually a good sign - means your return is processing normally. No tax topic could mean additional review.