Filed February 8th - WMR Still Stuck on 'Return Received' - March Refund Realistic?

The IRS Processing Queue is experiencing significant backlog this filing season. Your return is likely in Stage 2 of the Return Processing Pipeline, which precedes the Refund Authorization Phase. This extended timeline is consistent with current IRS operational metrics, where many early February filers are seeing 30-45 day processing times rather than the advertised 21 days. The "return received" status on WMR is notoriously unreliable as a progress indicator and often doesn't update until final processing.

I'm in the same boat. Filed February 3rd, still stuck on return received. Last year I got my money in 10 days. The difference? This year I'm counting on that money for property taxes due in April. The universe knows when you need the cash and makes you wait. Just how it works.

I've been through this dance every year. In 2022, I waited 8 weeks. Last year, 5 weeks. This year I was smart - after 3 weeks of no updates, I used Claimyr (https://www.claimyr.com) to actually reach an IRS agent instead of endless hold music. The agent confirmed my return was still processing normally but had been selected for additional review. Nothing I needed to do but wait. At least I stopped worrying something was wrong. Worth the fee just for peace of mind when you're dealing with important money.

I filed exactly on February 10th this year and was stuck on "return received" for exactly 32 days. My transcript was N/A until March 11th, then suddenly updated with an 846 code and a DDD of March 14th. The money hit my account precisely at 5:27am on the 14th. I had claimed exactly $4,325 in child tax credits which I think is what caused the delay. If you filed just 2 days before me, you might see movement very soon!

PSA: Don't count on tax $ for time-sensitive expenses! Been there, done that, got the late fees. Last yr my return was accepted Feb 1, WMR stuck on 'received' til mid-April. No explanation, no errors, just IRS being IRS. Called 14x, never got thru. Had to put home insurance on CC bc I was counting on refund. Interest = more than my actual refund. Tax season = pain season.

Has anyone checked their account transcript instead of just WMR? Sometimes your transcript will show codes that explain what's happening even when WMR is stuck, right? And have you verified whether you claimed any credits that would put you under PATH Act delays?

Mine was accepted February 6th. WMR stuck for 5 weeks. Got my refund yesterday. No explanation. No errors on return. System just takes time. Hang in there. You're probably fine. Just IRS being slow.

Not to be *that person* 😂 but have you tried checking your tax transcript instead of WMR? The transcript usually updates before WMR does and gives you actual cycle codes. I was in the dark for weeks until I figured this out. You can access it through the IRS website under "Get Transcript" - just need to create an account if you don't have one already.