Filed Jan 31, Identity Verification Required - Finally Got DD Date (3/27)

This is pretty much exactly what happened to me last year. Filed early February, transcripts showed nothing for weeks, then suddenly needed ID verification. The verification-to-DD timeline is almost identical to what you experienced - about 2 weeks from verification to deposit. It's frustrating how they send those verification letters via snail mail when everything else is electronic. At least you caught it in your online account rather than waiting even longer for the letter!

You might want to consider setting up ID protection for next year, if possible. I believe the IRS has an Identity Protection PIN program that could potentially help avoid this situation in the future. It's not foolproof, of course, but it might possibly reduce your chances of facing verification delays again. I always worry about these verification issues because they seem to be somewhat random in who gets selected.

Congrats on getting thru the verification maze! FYI for anyone else stuck in this situation - if u need to talk to an actual human at the IRS (esp during busy season), try Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). I was stuck in ID verify hell for like 6 wks last yr, couldn't get thru on phones AT ALL. Claimyr got me connected w/ an agent in ~30 mins who fixed everything. Worth every penny when ur refund is hanging in the balance and u can't waste days on redial.

Has anyone noticed how these verification requirements seem to hit early filers more often? Is it because they're using us as guinea pigs for their systems? I filed January 28th and got stuck in verification too, but mine took even longer to resolve. WMR didn't update for me until after verification was complete, so seeing that "being processed" update is definitely a good sign for you.

I had this exact same issue last year with my gig work taxes. The ID verification letter came almost a month after it was sent, just like yours. What I learned from that experience is that checking your IRS online account regularly is crucial - the verification requirement shows up there before the letter arrives. This year I checked weekly and caught a verification requirement early, verified online immediately, and my refund was processed within 10 days. No more waiting for letters that may never arrive!

I documented my entire verification-to-refund timeline this year, which might help others: 1. Filed: Jan 25 2. Noticed verification requirement in IRS account: Feb 15 3. Completed online verification: Feb 15 (same day) 4. WMR changed from "still processing" to "being processed": Feb 29 5. Transcript updated with 846 code: Mar 3 6. Refund deposited: Mar 8 The key was checking my online account instead of waiting for the letter. The system is actually pretty efficient once you verify - it's just that notification gap that causes problems.

My experience was almost identical to yours but with exactly 3 days longer at each step. Filed Jan 31, letter dated March 3, received March 15, verified same day, WMR updated March 18, and transcript shows DD for March 30. The 15-day gap between verification and direct deposit seems to be pretty consistent across cases. I tracked 8 different people's timelines in a spreadsheet and the average was 14.6 days from verification to deposit.

The ID verification process is standard for returns with certain risk factors. Your timeline is normal. Online verification takes 2-3 weeks to process. Paper verification takes 6-9 weeks. Phone verification takes 4-6 weeks. You did the right thing by verifying online immediately. The WMR update to "being processed" happens exactly when your return enters the normal processing queue after verification clears. Your March 27 deposit date will be accurate.