Filed 2/2 with Credits - No PATH Act Message on WMR?

Oh I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! The PATH Act message is so inconsistent this year! 😩 I filed with EITC on January 29th and didn't get the message either, but my sister filed a week later and DID get it. I was freaking out thinking I'd done something wrong! But my return is processing normally - just checked yesterday and my transcript updated. The message seems totally random this tax season!

This appears to be a User Interface (UI) anomaly in the Where's My Refund tool for Tax Year 2023 returns. The absence of the PATH Act notification doesn't indicate processing differences. Per IRS Publication 5027, returns claiming EITC or ACTC are still subject to the mandatory hold period regardless of message display. The 2/15/2024 release date for PATH-affected refunds remains in effect despite the message inconsistency.

I had the same issue. Filed 1/29. Claimed CTC. No PATH message. Got my refund yesterday with no issues. The system doesn't always show the message but your refund is still processed according to PATH Act timelines.

OMG this WMR tool is so buggy this yr! Tried calling IRS abt the missing PATH msg but couldn't get thru after like 5 attempts 🙄 Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got to an agent in ~25 mins. They confirmed my return was PATH-affected despite no msg showing. Said it's just a display issue and everything's processing normally. Worth the call just for peace of mind tbh.

The WMR tool is like that unreliable weather app that says it's sunny while you're standing in the rain. The PATH message is just a notification, not the actual process. Your return is still following the same timeline behind the scenes, even if the app doesn't show you the right forecast. Focus on the calendar date (after Feb 15) rather than the message.

Last year I had the opposite problem - got the PATH message even though I didn't claim any of the relevant credits! The IRS systems have been glitchy with these notifications for years. In 2022, the message disappeared and reappeared randomly for me. Just wait until after the PATH Act release date (Feb 15) and check your transcript instead. That's always been more reliable in my experience.

According to Internal Revenue Code Section 6402(m) and the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, the IRS must delay processing of returns claiming EITC and ACTC until February 15th regardless of what messages display in WMR. Multiple IRS statements (IR-2024-15 and IR-2024-22) confirm this requirement remains in effect for Tax Year 2023 returns. The message display is merely informational and not determinative of actual processing status.

I might be overthinking this, but I've been tracking WMR messages for the past three tax seasons, and I've noticed that perhaps about 30% of PATH-affected returns don't get the message. It seems to be somewhat related to filing date - returns filed very early or right around the opening of tax season tend to have more consistent messaging, while those filed in early February sometimes miss the notification, though I can't say with absolute certainty that's the pattern.

Just got my refund today after filing 2/1 with Child Tax Credit! Never saw the PATH message on WMR but my refund hit my account this morning. I checked the IRS2Go app and https://www.irs.gov/refunds every day - no PATH message ever appeared. Refund came exactly 21 days after filing, right on schedule. Don't stress about the message - focus on the calendar!