Filed on 2/14: Transcript shows -$5,849 balance with changing "As Of Date" to March 2025 - Is this my refund amount?
So I submitted my tax return on Valentine's Day (Feb 14) and it got accepted right away. I've been checking my transcript online and noticed something weird - the "As Of Date" keeps changing! Right now it shows March 24, 2025. But last week it said something else, and it keeps shifting around. My transcript shows this at the top: ANY MINUS SIGN SHOWN BELOW SIGNIFIES A CREDIT AMOUNT --- ACCOUNT BALANCE: -$5,849.00 ACCRUED INTEREST: 0.00 AS OF: Mar. 24, 2025 ACCRUED PENALTY: 0.00 AS OF: Mar. 24, 2025 ACCOUNT BALANCE PLUS ACCRUALS (this is not a payoff amount): -$5,849.00 Does this negative balance mean I'm getting a refund? Or do I somehow owe money? I'm confused about what the minus sign means here. The transcript also shows all this information: ** INFORMATION FROM THE RETURN OR AS ADJUSTED ** EXEMPTIONS: 02 FILING STATUS: Head of Household ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME: 0 TAXABLE INCOME: $2,201.00 TAX PER RETURN: 0.00 SE TAXABLE INCOME TAXPAYER: 0.00 SE TAXABLE INCOME SPOUSE: 0.00 TOTAL SELF EMPLOYMENT TAX: 0.00 RETURN DUE DATE OR RETURN RECEIVED DATE (WHICHEVER IS LATER): Apr. 15, 2025 PROCESSING DATE: Feb. 24, 2025 And then there's all these transaction codes: TRANSACTIONS CODE EXPLANATION OF TRANSACTION | CYCLE | DATE | AMOUNT 150 Tax return filed | 20250605 | 02-24-2025 | $0.00 30211-428-22712-5 806 W-2 or 1099 withholding | | 04-15-2025 | $161.00 766 Credit to your account | | 04-15-2025 | -$1,700.00 768 Earned income credit | | 04-15-2025 | -$3,988.00 I filed as Head of Household with 2 dependents. My return isn't complicated at all, so I don't understand why the "As Of Date" keeps changing and what exactly this negative balance means. The transcript says "ANY MINUS SIGN SHOWN BELOW SIGNIFIES A CREDIT AMOUNT" but I'm still confused. Does that mean I'm getting $5,849.00 back? And why do some of the transactions show dates in April when it's still only February? Anyone know what's going on with all this?
47 comments
Madison Allen
The negative balance is good news! That's your refund amount ($7,018.80). The As Of Date changing doesn't necessarily mean anything significant - it's just the date through which penalties and interest would be calculated if you owed money (which you don't). Your transcript shows exactly what makes up your refund: - $193.20 in withholding (money you already paid throughout the year) - $2,040.00 in credits (likely child tax credit) - $4,785.60 in earned income credit Total: $7,018.80 The As Of Date often changes when the IRS computer system does maintenance or reviews accounts. Since you have a refund (not a balance due), the changing date doesn't affect your refund timeline. Your return was processed on February 24th, so your refund should be issued soon if it hasn't been already. You can check the Where's My Refund tool on the IRS website for more specific refund timing information.
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Katherine Harris
Thank you so much for explaining everything so clearly! That makes me feel a lot better. I checked the Where's My Refund tool and it shows my refund is approved but not sent yet. Fingers crossed I get it soon.🤞
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Joshua Wood
I had the EXACT same situation. As of date kept bouncing around for like 3 weeks b4 my refund hit. Don't stress it too much!
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Justin Evans
This is accurate. I work in tax preparation and the As Of date changes are just system updates. Nothing to worry about with a negative balance.
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Emily Parker
I've been trying to understand my transcript for days and getting nowhere. Then I discovered this tool called taxr.ai and it literally explained every code on my transcript in plain english. It showed me exactly what my refund would be and when to expect it. Finally stopped the endless googling and reddit searches trying to interpret these cryptic IRS codes. They scan your transcript and tell you exactly what's happening and what to expect. I legit use it every time I need to check my tax status now cuz it's so much clearer than trying to decode it myself. Here's the link if anyone needs it: https://taxr.ai
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Joshua Wood
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Emily Parker
It analyzes your entire transcript and explains all the codes, dates, and amounts. It also checks for any potential issues or delays and tells you what they mean. Way more useful than the IRS's cryptic explanations. For OP, it would immediately tell them that negative balance = refund and explain why the As Of date keeps changing (which is usually normal).
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Joshua Wood
OMG just tried this and it's AMAZING! 🙌 My transcript made zero sense to me before. The tool explained everything and even predicted when I'll get my refund. Everyone dealing with transcript confusion needs to use this like yesterday!
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Ezra Collins
does this actually work or is it just another scammy tax thing? tired of getting my hopes up 🙄
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Emily Parker
Not a scam at all - it just reads the transcript data and explains it. Saved me hours of research and stress. Much better than guessing or waiting on hold with the IRS for 3 hours.
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Victoria Scott
Just checked it out. It's basically like having a tax pro look at your transcript without having to pay for a consultation. Wish I knew about this in February when I was freaking out over my transcript codes lol
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Benjamin Johnson
After weeks of trying to reach the IRS about my transcript issues (kept getting busy signals or disconnected), I used claimyr.com and got through to an actual person at the IRS in less than an hour. The agent explained that the "As Of" date changes are just system updates and confirmed my refund amount. Honestly, talking to a real person solved all my confusion and was the only way I could get a straight answer about my situation. The peace of mind was totally worth it after stressing for weeks.
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Zara Perez
Did you have to pay for this service? I've been trying to call for days and can never get through.
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Benjamin Johnson
Yeah, there is a fee, but considering I spent hours trying to call myself with no success, it was worth every penny. The agent I spoke with released my refund immediately once they saw there was just a system flag that needed clearing. Saved me weeks of waiting.
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Ezra Collins
I've heard about this but wasnt sure if it actually worked. Might try it cuz I'm at my wits end trying to reach someone at the irs
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Benjamin Johnson
It definitely works. Just make sure you have all your info ready when they connect you - they don't stay on the line forever and you dont wanna waste the opportunity once you get through!
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Daniel Rogers
I used this last week and got through in 45 mins after trying for DAYS on my own. Talking to an actual human at the IRS solved everything.
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Zara Perez
Gonna try it. Spending money to save money feels weird but if it gets my refund faster then im all for it!
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Aaliyah Reed
The "As Of" date on transcripts is literally the most confusing thing ever. Mine changed like 5 times before I got my refund. Seems like it's just the IRS doing maintenance on their systems or something. As long as your account shows negative (which means they owe YOU money), you're good. Just hang tight, your refund is coming.
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Victoria Scott
Congrats, you're getting a refund! That negative balance is what the IRS owes you. The As Of date is just internal IRS accounting stuff and doesn't really affect refund timing. Your 150 code on 2/24 means your return was processed then, so refund should come soon after (usually 1-3 weeks). Your credits look correct based on what you shared. Nothing to worry about here - just typical IRS processing.
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Katherine Harris
Thanks! That helps so much. This is my first time checking my transcript and all the numbers and codes were giving me a headache.
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Ella Russell
Your refund is $7,018.80. That's what the negative balance means. i was freaking out too when I saw mine but the minus means they owe YOU money not the other way around lol. IRS making things confusing like always 🙄
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Mohammed Khan
The "as of" date is a huge psycological torture device designed by the irs to make us all paranoid. I'm convinced its there to drive people insane while they wait for refunds. Mine changed 6 times before I finally got my money. Complete waste of time to even look at it.
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Gavin King
LMAO this is so true 🤣 I swear they do this on purpose
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Nathan Kim
I legit called the IRS about the as of date changing and the agent laughed and said not to worry about it. Like why have it then????
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Mohammed Khan
Exactly!! Its like they wanna give us anxiety on purpose. And then they're like "dont look at the transcript, use wheres my refund" but WMR never updates either 🤦♀️
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Nathan Kim
That negative balance is your refund amount, which is awesome! Your transcript shows you're getting $7,018.80 back. Here's how it breaks down: - Withholding: $193.20 (what your employer took out) - Some credit: $2,040 (probably child tax credit) - Earned income credit: $4,785.60 All those add up to your refund amount. The "as of" date is meaningless for people getting refunds - it only matters if you owe. At this point you just wait for it to hit your bank account.
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Eleanor Foster
Your 846 refund issued code is missing, which means they haven't sent the refund yet. Once you see code 846 with a date, that's when you'll get your money. But everything looks normal in your transcript. Just wait it out.
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Katherine Harris
That makes sense! I'll keep checking for that 846 code. How long after processing (the 150 code) does it usually take to get the 846?
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Eleanor Foster
Usually about 2-3 weeks but sometimes faster. Since your 150 was on 2/24, you should see the 846 very soon if not already. Check again tomorrow.
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Justin Evans
The "as of" date on your transcript is basically meaningless. It's just the date through which the IRS has calculated interest on what you owe them. Since you DON'T owe them (they owe you), the date doesn't matter at all. Ignore it completely. The negative balance means they owe you $7,018.80. I recommend checking out https://taxr.ai - it will explain all your transcript codes in plain English and tell you exactly what's happening with your return. Saved me tons of confusion.
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Lucas Turner
i used this last week when my transcript had all these random codes I didn't understand - it actually showed me there was a review happening that could delay my refund. super helpful
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Justin Evans
Yeah it's way better than trying to figure it out yourself. Their explanations are so much clearer than the IRS website.
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Kai Rivera
I'm pretty sure As Of dates change because the IRS computer systems do maintenance or updates on different cycles. My accountant told me not to worry about it unless you actually owe money (which you don't). Sit tight, your money will come soon!
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Anna Stewart
Anybody else's refund WAY bigger than expected this year? OP's getting over $7K which seems huge. I got like $5K more than I was expecting and I'm scared they're gonna ask for it back 😬
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Layla Sanders
Earned Income Credit can be really big if you have 2+ kids. That's probably why OPs refund is so high.
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Morgan Washington
Also child tax credits. With 2 kids and low/moderate income, a $7k refund is totally normal. The system is designed to help working parents.
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Anna Stewart
Ah that makes me feel better about mine then. I was scared I was getting audited for sure!
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Kaylee Cook
Negative balance = GOOD! Positive balance = BAD! That's literally all you need to know about IRS account transcripts 😂
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Oliver Alexander
This is the simplest, most accurate answer 💯
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Lara Woods
I had the exact same issue. The As Of date changed 3 times over 2 weeks. I finally broke down and used claimyr.com to reach an IRS agent. They explained that the changing date was just routine system updates and had nothing to do with my refund timing. My refund showed up in my account 2 days later. Sometimes talking to a real person is the only way to get peace of mind with these tax issues.
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Adrian Hughes
How long did it take to get through? I've tried calling like 20 times and always get hung up on
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Lara Woods
About 45 minutes total. Way better than the hours I spent trying to call myself. The agent was super helpful and could see everything about my account.
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Molly Chambers
I just wanna know why the IRS purposefully makes everything so confusing... like why can't they just say "Your refund is $7,018.80 and will be deposited on XX date" instead of all these cryptic codes and weird dates that keep changing? It's like they WANT us to be confused 🙄
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Ian Armstrong
Because they're a government agency, making things simple would be too... simple 🤣
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Eli Butler
The IRS is still using computer systems from the 1960s. No joke. Their modernization efforts keep getting defunded. That's why everything is so cryptic - it's based on ancient tech.
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Molly Chambers
That explains SO much. No wonder their website looks like it was made in 1998
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