Filed in January, then amended for 401k - No updates on refund despite seeing amended return on transcript

Amended returns follow a completely different processing timeline than regular returns. Here's what's happening: Step 1: Your amendment (Form 1040-X) was accepted into the IRS system on 2/9 Step 2: It enters the processing queue, which currently has significant backlogs Step 3: A human reviewer must manually review your amendment Step 4: Once approved, your transcript will update with code 971 followed by 846 (refund issued) The current processing time for amendments is 16-20 weeks according to the IRS website. Since you're only about 10 weeks in, you're still within the normal processing window. The fact that you can see the amendment on your transcript is actually a good sign - it means it's in the system correctly.

I was in a similar situation on March 12, 2023. Filed my original return on January 29, 2023, then realized I forgot to include some investment income. Filed an amendment on February 17, 2023. I didn't see any movement until May 23, 2023 - that's when the refund code finally appeared. Got the money on June 2, 2023. So that was about 14 weeks from amendment to refund. The waiting is frustrating, but based on my experience last year, you're still in the normal timeframe.

I've been following your situation closely, and it seems like you might benefit from a more detailed analysis of your transcript. I personally found https://taxr.ai extremely helpful when I was in a somewhat similar situation. It can probably identify which specific codes you have on your transcript and explain what they mean for your amended return. In my case, it was able to tell me, with reasonable accuracy, approximately when my refund would be processed based on the pattern of codes showing. It might give you some peace of mind to understand exactly where your amendment stands in the process.

You need to be aware of IRS Publication 5125 which specifically addresses amended return processing. According to Section 3.4, amended returns for the current tax year are prioritized, but still subject to manual review requirements per Internal Revenue Manual 21.5.3-4. The presence of retirement account adjustments like 401k contributions may trigger additional verification steps. If your transcript shows TC 971 with action code 120, that confirms your amendment is in the review queue. Without this code, you may need to contact the IRS directly as there could be an issue with your amendment not being properly routed. This needs to be addressed promptly as delays beyond 20 weeks can complicate matters further.

I've seen this exact situation before. Amendments take forever. Calling the IRS is your best bet now. Regular number won't help much though. Try https://www.claimyr.com instead. They'll get you connected to an actual IRS agent. Worth every penny. No more busy signals. No more disconnects. They helped me reach someone who could actually tell me what was happening with my amended return. Got real answers instead of generic timelines.

I'm a bit worried about sharing this, but I think you should know... Last year I amended my return for a similar reason (forgot some income from a side gig), and it took nearly 6 months to process. I wasn't expecting it to take that long, and I had already committed to using the money for some home repairs. Ended up having to take out a small loan to cover the costs while waiting. If you've already told your contractor you're using the refund money, you might want to be upfront about the potential delay or look into alternative financing options just in case.

Let me share a little cautionary tale (with a hint of humor to make it less painful 😅). I amended my 2022 return and waited patiently for 4 months. Nothing happened. Called IRS - they had no record of receiving it despite my electronic confirmation! Had to resend everything. The moral of this sad tax saga? Keep checking your transcript every couple of weeks. If you don't see any movement or new codes after 8 weeks, something might be wrong. Don't be like me, sitting there thinking "they must be working on it" while my amendment was floating in digital limbo somewhere!

I need some clarification on what you mean by "all the right codes" on your transcript. Could you specify exactly which codes you're seeing? • Is there a TC 150 (return filed)? • Do you see a TC 971 (amended return filed)? • Any TC 570 (processing hold)? • Any TC 420 (examination indicator)? The specific combination would help determine where exactly you are in the process. I'm skeptical that you can accurately predict timing without knowing exactly which codes are present and in what sequence.

I just checked the IRS2Go app yesterday and saw they updated their FAQ section about amended returns. According to https://www.irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return, if your amendment involves retirement accounts like 401k contributions, they're currently processing those from January-February in batches. The next batch processing date is May 15th according to the site, so you might see movement around then. My brother-in-law's amendment for 401k contributions from early February was just processed last week, so they're definitely working through the backlog.

From what I've seen in this community over the past few years, amended returns are consistently the slowest category of tax filings to process. Back in 2021, I waited 11 months for an amended return to process. In 2022, it took 6 months. Last year was better at about 4 months. This year seems to be running at about 3-4 months based on what others are posting. So you're still within the expected timeframe. The community wisdom is: don't count on amended return money until you actually see it in your account. I've seen too many people get into financial binds planning around refund money that was significantly delayed.