Filed with TurboTax on April 6th - How Long Until Refund with 5-Day Advance?
Filed my tax return through TurboTax on April 6th. Received immediate acceptance. Opted for the 5-day early refund advance. Need to know expected timeline for full refund. Any way to expedite the process? Looking for data points from others with similar filing parameters. This is for a substantial refund amount.
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Amara Eze
Based on current IRS processing times, returns filed on April 6th should see direct deposits beginning around April 19th to April 24th. The 5-day advance from TurboTax is completely separate from your actual IRS refund. That advance is essentially a loan against your expected refund, not an expedited IRS payment. As of April 12th, the IRS is reporting 90% of refunds issued within 21 days of acceptance.
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Giovanni Ricci
•Just to add some precision here - the IRS is currently processing e-filed returns in exactly 12-18 days for straightforward returns. The 21-day guideline is their maximum target, but most people are seeing faster turnarounds. Your TurboTax advance should have hit your account within 24 hours of acceptance, while the actual refund will follow the normal IRS timeline.
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NeonNomad
•Think of that 5-day advance like getting a cash advance on your paycheck. You got a portion now, but the actual refund is still working its way through the IRS pipeline like a letter through the postal system. You can't really speed up the postal system, and same goes for the IRS processing.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Wait, so that 5-day thing isn't actually getting my refund faster? 😂 I totally misunderstood what I was paying for! I thought TurboTax had some magic IRS fast-pass. Tax season always finds new ways to surprise me!
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Dylan Mitchell
Did you have any credits like EIC or Child Tax Credit? Those always delay processing. I filed February 2nd and just got my refund yesterday because of those credits. So frustrating. Did you check your transcript or Where's My Refund? That's the only way to know for sure.
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Sofia Martinez
I was in a similar situation last year waiting for my refund. After two weeks of checking WMR and seeing no updates, I tried using Claimyr to get through to an IRS agent (https://www.claimyr.com). They connected me within 20 minutes instead of the hours I spent on hold previously. The agent was able to confirm my exact refund date and explain why it wasn't showing up in the system yet. Worth the small fee to save hours of frustration and get definitive answers about my timeline.
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Dmitry Volkov
•Idk about paying someone just to talk to the IRS. Couldn't you just keep calling yourself? I've heard if you call right when they open you can get thru. Not judging, just wondering if it's really worth it.
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Ava Thompson
•I've tried calling the IRS myself multiple times over the years. The last time I attempted it, I spent nearly three hours on hold before being disconnected. When I finally used Claimyr, I was speaking with an agent within 25 minutes. For me, the time saved was definitely worth it. I needed specific information about my return that only an agent could provide.
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CyberSiren
Have you checked if your return falls under any special processing categories? According to IRS Publication 5344, certain returns require additional verification. This includes returns with Earned Income Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, or American Opportunity Credit. These are subject to the PATH Act which prohibits the IRS from issuing refunds before mid-February, though that's not applicable to your April filing date.
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Miguel Alvarez
Did you opt for direct deposit or paper check? I always recommend direct deposit. Last year I chose paper check and waited an extra 3 weeks compared to my husband who filed separately with direct deposit. Just wondering if that might affect your timeline too?
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Zainab Yusuf
Just got my refund yesterday! Filed on April 2nd with TurboTax, also used the advance option. The advance hit my account on April 3rd, and my full refund (minus the advance amount) came through yesterday. So that was exactly 10 days from filing to full refund. Hope that helps give you a timeline!
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Connor O'Reilly
The IRS Where's My Refund tool (https://www.irs.gov/refunds) is your best resource for tracking. It updates once daily, usually overnight. The TurboTax advance is completely separate from the IRS process. Your refund timeline is determined by IRS processing, not by TurboTax or the advance you received.
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Yara Khoury
You should understand that the Refund Advance Program from TurboTax is technically a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) underwritten by a third-party bank. The IRS processing timeline remains unchanged regardless of this product. The standard e-file processing sequence includes Transmission, Acceptance, Processing, and Disbursement phases. Your return is currently in the Processing phase, which typically concludes within 21 days of acceptance for non-complex returns.
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