Filed in February - Still Waiting for Refund (Eminem Parody)

I feel your pain. I'm in the exact same boat right now. According to the IRS2Go app and WMR site, "normal" processing time is 21 days, but tons of us are waiting way longer. Have you checked your transcript on IRS.gov? Sometimes that shows updates before WMR does. If you haven't already, create an account at https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account and see if there's any movement there. Hang in there - it's frustrating but it will come eventually.

Have you tried calling the IRS directly? I was in the same situation last year - filed on February 12th and got nothing for weeks. Finally called on March 25th and found out they needed verification of my identity. The problem is they never sent me a letter about it. Once I verified, I had my refund by April 8th. Don't just assume waiting longer will fix it - sometimes there's an issue they haven't communicated.

The IRS is like that restaurant that takes your order and then forgets you exist until you flag down the manager. Your return is probably sitting in the digital equivalent of a ticket spike somewhere. Did you claim any credits like EIC or Child Tax Credit? Those automatically get extra scrutiny and longer processing times. The PATH Act requires the IRS to hold refunds claiming certain credits until at least February 15th, and then they get put in a special verification queue that moves like molasses in January.

Based on the current processing bottlenecks at the IRS, you might want to try reaching an actual agent to verify your return status. The standard IRS phone lines have 2+ hour wait times right now, but I used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) last week and got through in 18 minutes. The agent confirmed my return was held for income verification but hadn't generated a letter yet. For $20, it saved me literally days of redial attempts and waiting on hold. Once I knew what was happening, I could address the issue directly instead of just waiting blindly.

Here's what worked for me when I was stuck in processing for 6 weeks: 1. First, check your transcript for any codes (570, 971, etc) 2. If no codes, try the Tax Advocate Service at 1-877-777-4778 3. Call early in the morning (7am EST) when wait times are shortest 4. Have your previous year's AGI ready for verification 5. Ask specifically if there are any holds or verification needs I found out they needed verification of my education credits that I never received a letter about. Once I faxed in my 1098-T, my refund was processed within 2 weeks.

Has anyone tried using the "Where's My Amended Return" tool instead? Sometimes when the regular WMR isn't showing updates, the amended return tool might show different information. I know it sounds counterintuitive if you didn't file an amendment, but the systems pull from different databases. Did you e-file or paper file?

I experienced a similar delay last year. My return included Schedule C self-employment income, which triggered a manual review according to the agent I eventually reached. If you have any of these potential audit triggers, expect longer processing times: - Self-employment income over $10,000 - Home office deduction - Earned Income Credit with self-employment - Large charitable contributions relative to income - Round numbers on multiple deductions My return took exactly 9 weeks to process from acceptance date.