Filed taxes on March 2nd and IRS still shows not processed after 3 months
I submitted my tax return on March 2nd 2025 and the IRS has received it since then according to the tracking. It's been over 3 months and when I check the status online it still shows as "return received" but not processed. I was expecting about $4,300 back. I've checked my transcript several times and there's no updates at all. I called the IRS twice but couldn't get through to a human after waiting for hours. Has anyone else been waiting this long? Not sure what else I can do at this point.
42 comments
Jace Caspullo
Unfortunately this is happening to a lot of people this year. The IRS is severely backlogged. Looking at your situation, since it's been over 90 days, you now qualify to file a Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) request. You need to fill out Form 911 and explain your situation, including any financial hardship the delay is causing. Also check your transcript for any codes like 570 (refund hold) or 971 (notice issued). If you see those, they may have sent you a letter requesting additional information. In some cases, if you filed electronically, there might be an issue with your return that's causing the delay - possibly something that doesn't match their records. Make sure your bank information was entered correctly if you chose direct deposit. If you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, those returns typically take longer to process as they undergo additional verification.
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Adriana Cohn
Thanks for this detailed info! I don't see any codes on my transcript at all - its basically blank except for showing they received it. No EITC or Child credits either, just a basic return. I'll look into the Form 911 option.
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Melody Miles
I'd wait a bit before filing Form 911. TAS is also backed up and might reject your case if its just a normal processing delay. try callin the IRS directly first.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
I filed Feb 20th and I'm in the exact same boat. No updates, blank transcript. This is insane 😡
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Eva St. Cyr
What helped me understand my situation was using taxr.ai - it actually analyzed my transcript and explained exactly what was happening and why I was having delays. Instead of spending weeks trying to figure out the codes and status myself, it gave me a clear explanation in minutes. The site (https://taxr.ai) saved me so much stress with my similar situation. It can tell you if you're just in a normal processing queue or if there's a specific issue holding things up.
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Kristian Bishop
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Eva St. Cyr
OMG I've been recommending this to EVERYONE. It actually does a full analysis of your entire transcript, explains all the codes, tells you exactly where you are in the process, and gives you a timeline of what's happening next. It saved me from calling the IRS 20 times. You just upload your transcript and it does everything for you - SO worth it!
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Kaitlyn Otto
another tax service? idk seems like theres so many scams out there
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Eva St. Cyr
Not a scam at all! It literally just reads the transcript that you already have and explains what's happening. I was completely lost trying to understand all those IRS codes until I used it. Best decision I made during this whole tax nightmare 👍
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Axel Far
After waiting 2 months with no updates, I finally got through to an IRS agent using claimyr.com - total game changer! Instead of wasting hours on hold, they got an agent to call me back. The agent explained my return was flagged for a simple verification check and released my refund right on the call. Talking to an actual human solved it in minutes after months of nothing happening. Best money I ever spent considering I was waiting on thousands in my refund.
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Jasmine Hernandez
This sounds too good to be true. Does this service actually work? I've been trying to reach someone for weeks.
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Axel Far
100% works. I was super skeptical at first but was desperate after trying for literally weeks to get through. They had an agent call me back within a couple hours. Apparently they use some kind of system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line.
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Luis Johnson
waited on hold for 3+ hrs yesterday and got disconnected 🤬 might try this...
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Ellie Kim
I used this too! Got an agent on the phone who fixed my issue in 10 minutes. Absolutely worth it considering I'd spent days trying to get through myself.
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Fiona Sand
check ur mail carefully!! they might have sent u a verification letter. my return sat for months until i realized they sent a letter asking me to verify my identity online. once i did that it was processed in 2 weeks.
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Mohammad Khaled
The IRS is an absolute joke this year. I filed in January and didn't get my refund until May. No explanation, no updates, nothing. Just suddenly appeared in my account one day. The whole system is broken beyond belief.
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Alina Rosenthal
Same happened to me. No updates for 4 months then suddenly money in my account. didn't even get an update on the Where's My Refund tool 🤡
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Finnegan Gunn
This is why I always file for an extension and do my taxes in October. Less backlog to deal with.
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Miguel Harvey
Have you tried calling the IRS early in the morning? Like right when they open? That's the only time I've ever had success getting through to a human. Be prepared with all your info ready - they'll need your SSN, filing status, and exact refund amount.
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Adriana Cohn
I tried that once and still waited for 45 minutes before giving up. What time exactly do they open? Maybe I need to try earlier.
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Miguel Harvey
7am Eastern Time. I usually call at 6:58 and get in the queue immediately. Still might wait 20-30 min but way better than midday when it's literally hours.
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Ashley Simian
this happened to me last yr. turns out my employer made a tiny error on my W2 (like $20 difference) and the IRS flagged my entire return. had to wait 5 months for my refund and they never even told me what was wrong. you might want to double check all your docs if possible
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Oliver Cheng
Did you try checking your transcript online? sometimes the wheres my refund tool doesn't update but your transcript shows codes that explain whats happening
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Adriana Cohn
Yeah I checked my transcript several times, its basically empty except for showing they received my return. No processing codes, no updates, nothing 😩
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Taylor To
When you say 'empty' - are you looking at the account transcript or the return transcript? You need to check the account transcript specifically for the current tax year.
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Adriana Cohn
Oh I didn't realize there were different types! Let me check again and see if I'm looking at the right one.
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Ella Cofer
Highly recommend contacting your local congressman/congresswoman's office! They have liaisons specifically for IRS issues. I was waiting 4 months, contacted my rep's office, and had my refund 2 weeks later. They can cut through the red tape.
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Kevin Bell
I second this! My congressman's office was amazing and got my issue resolved in 3 weeks after I'd been waiting for 6 months. Just google "[your area] congressional representative" and call their office.
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Savannah Glover
does this actually work? seems like they'd have bigger things to worry about than my taxes lol
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Ella Cofer
It absolutely works! Constituent services is literally part of their job and they have staff dedicated to it. They deal with IRS issues all the time. Trust me, try it.
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Felix Grigori
I'm in the exact same boat. Filed early March, still nothing. Whats even worse is I OWED money this year and paid it already, but my account still shows as not processed. So they took my money but haven't processed my return? Make it make sense. 🙃
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Felicity Bud
Check if you claimed any pandemic-related credits. Those are getting extra scrutiny and delays this year. Also if you filed a paper return, those are taking 6+ months in some cases.
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Adriana Cohn
I filed electronically and didn't claim any special credits. Just a standard return with W2 income and some stock sales. That's what makes it so frustrating!
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Max Reyes
PSA FOR EVERYONE: create an ID.me account and access your IRS account. You can see WAY more information there than on the public "Where's My Refund" tool. Often shows what's happening when the regular tool just says "processing".
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Mikayla Davison
This! The ID.me verification is a pain but once you have it setup you can see your actual transcript which has all the processing codes and dates.
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Adrian Connor
I tried setting up an ID.me account and gave up after an hour... the verification process is ridiculous 😩
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Aisha Jackson
Check if your bank account info is correct in your return. If even one digit is wrong, they'll issue a paper check instead which adds weeks to the timeline.
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Ryder Everingham
I was in EXACTLY the same situation. Ended up using taxr.ai to analyze my transcript, and it turns out I was in the fraud verification queue but they never sent me the letter! Once I knew what was happening I was able to verify my identity online and got my refund 2 weeks later. Highly recommend checking it out at https://taxr.ai - saved me so much headache.
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Adriana Cohn
That's interesting. How does it work exactly? can it tell me anything if my transcript is basically empty?
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Ryder Everingham
Yes! Even an "empty" transcript tells a story. Mine looked empty too, but the tool explained that the lack of certain codes by this point in the year is actually an indication of specific issues. It can tell you if you're in manual review, identity verification, or just normal processing queue based on the pattern of what's missing and the timing. Super helpful.
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Lilly Curtis
dont mean to be that person but... welcome to dealing with the IRS! they operate on their own timeline and theres pretty much nothing we can do but wait. ive had returns take 8+ months in previous years.
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Leo Simmons
facts 💯 the IRS is living in 1985 while the rest of us are in 2025
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