Filed 1/25, State Refund Diverted to Fees, Federal Still Stuck on Processing with 0605 Code

I'm seeing a lot of people with similar issues this year... from what I understand, the 0605 code typically indicates that your return is being processed, but there might be some verification happening. I wouldn't panic yet, though it's definitely frustrating. In my experience, when the state refund gets diverted to pay filing fees, it sometimes means there was a miscommunication in how you set up the fee payment in your filing software. Did you opt for fees to be taken from your refund?

I was stuck in EXACTLY this situation last month. Here's what worked for me: 1. First, I tried calling the regular IRS number every day for a week - complete waste of time 2. Then I tried the "call early in the morning" trick - still couldn't get through 3. Finally used Claimyr (https://www.claimyr.com) and got connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes The agent explained that my return was just in the verification queue because of my status change. Nothing was wrong, but they were able to give me an actual timeline instead of the vague "still processing" message. Saved me weeks of anxiety and checking WMR obsessively.

I'm experiencing something very similar right now. Filed 1/22, accepted 1/23, and still stuck on the first bar with code 0605. According to the Internal Revenue Manual, this code indicates standard return processing, but the timeframe should typically be 21 days maximum for non-complex returns. The fact that you're newly married with an address change might have triggered additional verification protocols. In my research, I've found that filing status changes often result in extended processing times of 45-60 days rather than the standard 21.

As someone who works with tax data professionally, I can tell you that the 0605 code isn't necessarily concerning, but the lack of movement after this long is unusual. You might want to check your transcript more thoroughly - sometimes there are subtle indicators that aren't obvious at first glance. I've been recommending taxr.ai (https://www.taxr.ai) to clients who need help interpreting their transcripts. It's particularly good at spotting patterns that indicate where you are in the processing pipeline. It might tell you if you're just in normal processing or if there's some verification hold that's not immediately obvious. Beats staring at those cryptic codes and trying to decode them yourself! 😂

Be careful about the state refund being diverted for fees. According to the IRS.gov guidelines and several tax preparation service forums I've reviewed, this could indicate a potential issue with your refund processing agreement. You might want to check your filing confirmation documents to see exactly what you agreed to. Some tax preparation services have been known to change their default settings year to year, so what worked one way last year might be different now. I'd recommend reviewing your TurboTax account settings and perhaps contacting them directly about the fee diversion, as this might be completely separate from your federal refund delay.

Have you checked if you might potentially be subject to the PATH Act delay? It's possible, though not certain, that your return might include credits that trigger additional verification. Sometimes this isn't obvious from the user interface of tax preparation software. Did you claim any refundable credits like the Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit that might trigger these extended review periods?

I made the mistake of assuming a status change wouldn't affect processing time last year. Changed from HOH to MFJ and my refund took 78 days instead of the usual 14. The IRS verification system has specific triggers for life changes that require manual review in many cases. The system flags address changes combined with status changes as potential indicators of identity verification needs. I would strongly suggest pulling your full tax transcript (not just the account transcript) to check for TC 570 or 971 codes which indicate specific holds. The 0605 alone doesn't tell the whole story.

The community wisdom on this is pretty clear - status changes + address changes often = delays. But there's a silver lining: these verification delays usually don't result in audits or problems, just slower processing. Most people in your situation report receiving their refunds eventually without any action needed. The consensus seems to be that if you're past 45 days, it's worth trying to contact the IRS, but before that, it's normal processing for your specific situation. Hang in there - almost everyone gets their refund by early April even with these delays.