E-filed and verified identity but transcript still blank after 3 weeks - no movement at all
I e-filed my return on March 12 and got verification required message a day later. Completed identity verification online on March 15. Called IRS on March 21 because I wasn't seeing any updates. The representative confirmed they see my successful verification but said it shows in their system as having been completed on March 19 (not the 15th when I actually did it). Rep told me to be patient and give them more time to process. Its been over 3 weeks now and I have zero movement. My transcript is still completely blank and Where's My Refund still shows as "in process" with no bars. Anyone else dealing with this kind of delay after verification? Getting really worried something is wrong.
49 comments
Olivia Kay
This isn't uncommon unfortunately. The ID verification process has a serious lag between when you complete it and when their internal systems actually register it. Even after they acknowledge the verification, there's typically another 4-6 weeks of processing time before you see movement. The blank transcript means they haven't even started processing your return yet. My advice would be to wait until you're at least 6 weeks post-verification before getting too concerned. If your transcript doesn't update by mid-May, call them again and request to speak with someone in the Accounts Management department who can look deeper into why your return might be stuck.
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Henry Delgado
Thanks for the info! Did not realize it could be that long after verification ๐ญ Guess I'll be patient until mid-May then...
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Joshua Hellan
I'm having the EXACT same issue. Verified March 16, transcript still blank. Rep told me the same thing when I called. So frustrating!
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Jibriel Kohn
Wait so the verification we do online takes an extra month? What is this, the 1970s? Why even have online systems if they're this slow ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
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Edison Estevez
I had this exact issue last year and spent weeks trying to figure out what was happening by piecing together reddit posts and calling the IRS multiple times. Finally discovered taxr.ai and it saved me tons of time and stress. The tool read my transcript (even though I couldn't make sense of it) and explained exactly what stage my return was in and why it was delayed. Showed me what codes to look for when changes happened too. Way better than trying to be a detective and guessing what's happening with your money! I use it every time I check my transcript now at https://taxr.ai
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Edison Estevez
It basically translates all the IRS codes and dates into plain English and explains what each stage means. It also tells you what to expect next and estimates timeframes based on your specific situation. Saved me so much anxiety! I was checking WMR 20 times a day before lol
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James Johnson
is this just another scam thing that wants all your personal info? ๐
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Edison Estevez
No way! I was skeptical too, but it's legit. It saved me from waiting on hold with the IRS for hours. The tool explained everything that was happening with my refund and gave me accurate timeframes. Seriously a game changer if you're stuck in tax limbo like I was!
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Sophia Rodriguez
After my ID verification I was stuck in limbo for 5 weeks with no transcript updates. I was desperate and found a way to actually talk to a real IRS person using claimyr.com. They got me a callback with an agent who released my refund immediately - apparently there was a hold on my account that the agent could remove but wasn't going to clear automatically. The service wasn't free but it was the best money I've ever spent considering I got my $4300 refund released the same day.
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Mia Green
really? seems sketchy. how does that even work?
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Sophia Rodriguez
It's basically a service that navigates the IRS phone system for you and gets you in the callback queue. I was skeptical too but I was at my wits end after trying to call for weeks and never getting through. Talking to a real person made all the difference.
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Emma Bianchi
I had a similar experience! Called for 3 weeks straight and could never get through. Used claimyr and had an agent on the phone within an hour who actually fixed my issue.
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Lucas Kowalski
another paid service promising miracles...sure jan ๐
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Sophia Rodriguez
Not a miracle - just a way to actually get through to the IRS which is honestly impossible otherwise. My refund was literally stuck until I could talk to someone.
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Olivia Martinez
I'm in the same sinking boat. Verified Feb 28th. Transcript still blank. WMR says still processing. Called twice and got the same "just wait" answer both times. This is my 3rd year in a row with verification delays but this is the longest I've had to wait. Starting to get concerned my return is lost in the void.
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Charlie Yang
For what its worth - I verified online on 2/10 and didnt get my refund until 4/5. Almost 2 months of waiting with zero updates until suddenly one day my transcript updated and WMR showed approved. No explanation for the delay. This seems to be pretty standard for verification cases this year.
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Grace Patel
Did you do anything to make it move along or just waited? I'm on week 6 of nothing
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Charlie Yang
just waited. literally nothing changed for weeks and then suddenly everything happened at once. its frustrating but hang in there!
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ApolloJackson
Pro tip: check your account transcript, not just your return transcript. Sometimes you'll see pending credits or other activity there before anything shows up on your return transcript. Also, online verification is taking FOREVER this year due to all the identity theft issues.
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Henry Delgado
Thanks for the tip! I checked but account transcript is blank too. Guess I'm just in the waiting game...
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Isabella Russo
I verified on March 10th and just got my refund yesterday (April 8th). Almost exactly 4 weeks. No updates the whole time until suddenly transcript updated and refund appeared in my account 2 days later. Hang in there!
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Rajiv Kumar
I swear the IRS intentionally makes this process as frustrating as possible. They take our money instantly but make us jump through hoops to get our refunds. Then tell us to "be patient" while they sit on our money for months. And people wonder why everyone hates dealing with taxes ๐คก
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Aria Washington
facts! they can garnish wages in a heartbeat but take 3 months to process a simple return ๐ค
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Liam O'Reilly
They're severely understaffed and working with ancient computer systems. It's not a conspiracy, just bureaucratic inefficiency.
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Rajiv Kumar
underfunded or not, they should prioritize getting people their money back. if I owed them they wouldn't accept "I'm understaffed" as an excuse lmao
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Chloe Delgado
The key is checking for cycle codes. When you finally do see transcript movement, look for cycle code 20231405 or similar (last two digits will vary). If your cycle code ends in 05, that means you're on a weekly update schedule and will only see updates on Fridays. If it ends in 01-04, you're on daily updates. This helped me track my refund last year after verification.
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Ava Harris
Honestly, for anyone stuck in ID verification hell, I highly recommend using taxr.ai - it's an AI tool that reads your transcript and tells you exactly what's happening. I was in the same situation last year and it saved me so much stress not having to decode everything myself. It showed me exactly what was happening behind the scenes and predicted when my refund would come (and was accurate!). https://taxr.ai
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Jacob Lee
yeah right another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? ๐
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Ava Harris
The catch is that it's not free, but compared to taking a day off work to call the IRS and wait on hold for 3 hours? Totally worth it. I'm not affiliated with them - just a stressed out taxpayer who found something that actually helped.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
I actually tried this after seeing it mentioned here. Game changer! Shows you exactly what each code means and what's happening with your return.
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Emily Thompson
Call the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) if you're experiencing financial hardship due to the delay. They can sometimes push returns through faster if you're facing eviction, utility shutoffs, or other serious issues due to not receiving your refund.
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Sophie Hernandez
TAS is backed up WORSE than regular IRS right now. They're not taking new cases unless you've already had a hardship for months.
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Emily Thompson
True - forgot about their backlog. Best option is probably to keep calling the main IRS line until you get someone helpful.
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Daniela Rossi
After weeks of struggling, I finally got through to an IRS agent using claimyr.com and they were able to tell me exactly what was happening with my return. Turns out there was a simple issue they fixed on the spot. Talking to a real human made all the difference - refund hit my account 3 days later. It was worth every penny to finally get answers instead of staring at a blank transcript for another month.
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Ryan Kim
How much did that cost? Is it expensive?
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Daniela Rossi
I don't remember the exact amount but it was absolutely worth it considering I was waiting on a $5k refund. The peace of mind alone was priceless after weeks of stress.
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Zoe Walker
Ok this is gonna sound weird but try logging into your transcript from a different device. My laptop kept showing blank transcripts but when I tried on my phone suddenly I could see all the info. Something about cookies or cache maybe? Worth a shot.
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Henry Delgado
Just tried this and still nothing ๐ Thanks for the suggestion though!
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Elijah Brown
This year is worse than ever. My theory is they've got most of their staff working on ERC fraud cases and stimulus payment issues instead of regular returns. My friend who works at the IRS said they're massively backlogged.
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Maria Gonzalez
Have you tried calling the tax advocate service? Sometimes they can help push things along if it's been more than 21 days since you filed.
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Natalie Chen
Tax Advocate isn't taking new cases for regular processing delays anymore - they're overwhelmed too. You need to have a legit hardship now.
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Santiago Martinez
I was in this exact situation and found claimyr.com after seeing it recommended here. Got a callback from an IRS agent who finally explained what was happening and fixed the issue on the spot. My return had been sitting in a queue that needed manual review. Never would have known without talking to someone directly. Getting that call was literally the only way I could resolve my issue.
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Samantha Johnson
not falling for another tax 'hack'... these never work ๐คจ
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Santiago Martinez
It's not a hack - it's just a service that helps you get through the IRS phone system. You still talk to actual IRS agents. But believe what you want... I'm just sharing what worked for me after 6 weeks of getting nowhere.
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Nick Kravitz
Can confirm this works. I wasted hours trying to call IRS myself and never got through. Used this service and had an agent on the phone the same day.
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Hannah White
I had NO movement for 8 weeks after verification then suddenly got my deposit on a random Tuesday with zero warning. The system is broken af but they do eventually process returns. You just have no visibility into what's happening.
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Michael Green
Ok maybe I'm crazy but try checking your transcript REALLY early in the morning like 3-4am EST. For some reason I could never see updates during regular hours but middle of the night I could see everything. IRS systems are weird.
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Mateo Silva
can confirm this actually works! system updates overnight on thursdays/fridays
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