Filed 2/17, WMR Shows Processing, Got a Random $57 Deposit Instead of My Refund?

That small deposit is likely your state refund or a local tax refund (like school district). The federal refund comes separately and takes longer, especially this time of year when the IRS is processing millions of returns. Since you filed on 2/17 and were accepted on 2/18, you're only about 3-4 weeks into processing. The standard timeframe is 21 days, but it often takes longer - more like 30-45 days for many people this year.

Did you file your state taxes at the same time? I'm guessing that's what the $57 is. My state came back WAY faster than federal last year too.

I was in the exact same boat last month! Filed 1/29, got my state refund of $124 on 2/15, and my federal transcript was blank for WEEKS. I started freaking out so I used https://taxr.ai to scan my transcript once it finally appeared. It explained all the codes and told me exactly why my refund was delayed (had to do with a verification of my W-2). The tool predicted my exact deposit date which was super helpful for planning my budget. Definitely worth checking out when your transcript finally updates.

Blank transcripts are totally normal this time of year. The IRS systems are absolutely SLAMMED right now. I'm a tax preparer and about 60% of my clients who filed in mid-February are still waiting. Your $57 is definitely your state refund - they almost always process faster than federal.

If your transcript is still blank by the end of next week, you might want to call the IRS just to make sure everything's okay. I tried calling for 3 days straight and kept getting the "high call volume" message. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They confirmed my return was just stuck in the normal processing queue and nothing was wrong. Saved me a ton of stress wondering if I'd messed something up!

The cycle of checking WMR and transcripts daily is a special kind of torture 😂 I've been there! Just remember that no news is usually good news - if there was a problem, they'd send you a letter. And yeah, that $57 is almost certainly your state refund.