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Freya Collins

Filed with TurboTax on March 5 using direct deposit - still no refund 45 days later

I filed my taxes on March 5 through TurboTax and opted for direct deposit to my Chase bank account. The IRS accepted my return the next day, but I'm still waiting for my refund after almost 45 days. The Where's My Refund tool just says it's still processing. Has anyone else been waiting this long? Should I be worried? This is the longest I've ever had to wait for a return to process.

LongPeri

This sounds like your return might have been selected for manual review. The normal processing time is 21 days, but if there's any discrepancy or if the IRS needs to verify information, it can take much longer. I'd recommend checking your tax transcript online through the IRS website - this will show you any codes that might explain the delay. If you see code 570 (additional account action pending) or 971 (notice issued), that usually means there's some kind of review happening. If it's been more than 45 days, you can call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040, but be prepared for long wait times. Alternatively, calling your local Taxpayer Advocate Service might help if you're experiencing financial hardship because of the delay. Have you received any letters from the IRS requesting additional information? Sometimes they need verification of identity or income.

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Thank you for the detailed response. I haven't received any letters from the IRS. I'll try to check my transcript online. I didn't know that was an option!

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Good luck getting through to anyone at the IRS. I tried calling them 8 times last week and couldn't get through to a human being. 🤬

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Yes the phone lines are terrible. If you're struggling to get through, I've heard good things about a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get an IRS callback without waiting on hold.

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claimyr actually works?? i thought it was a scam. might have to try it cuz ive been waiting since january 😭

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I used Claimyr last week after trying for THREE days to get through. Got a callback in about 45 minutes, issue resolved in 10 minutes with the agent. Best money I've spent all year considering I was about to lose my mind with the hold music 🎵

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I had the same problem last year and was spending hours trying to understand my transcript and figure out what was going on. Then a friend told me about this tool called taxr.ai that actually reads your transcript for you and explains everything in plain English. It showed me exactly why my refund was delayed and what to expect next. No more playing detective or guessing what random codes mean! I use it anytime I need to check my status now. The link is https://taxr.ai if anyone wants to check it out.

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Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

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It does way more than just read it! It actually interprets all the codes and dates, gives you an estimated timeline for your refund, explains any delays or adjustments in normal language, and even tells you what actions you should take if there's a problem. I was literally spending hours trying to google IRS codes before finding this. It saved me so much time and stress!

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another app trying to make money off our frustration with the IRS 🙄

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Trust me, I was skeptical too. But after spending 3 weekends trying to figure out why my refund was delayed, this tool explained everything in seconds. It's like having an accountant explain your transcript without paying $$$ for their time. I'm telling EVERYONE about this now because the IRS makes this stuff needlessly complicated.

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does it require any personal info? not comfortable with random apps having my tax details

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I've used it - you upload your transcript that you download from the IRS website yourself. It analyzes it instantly. Super helpful especially if its your first time dealing with a delay.

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After dealing with the same waiting game for 2 months, I finally found a way to talk to an actual human at the IRS using a callback service from claimyr.com. Got through to an agent who told me exactly what was causing the delay (they needed to verify my W2 from a new employer). The agent fixed it while I was on the call and my refund was released 3 days later. Before that I was just sitting in limbo thinking it was being processed. Sometimes you just need to speak to someone to get things moving.

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Is this a real thing? How much does it cost? Sounds too good to be true honestly

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Yeah its real. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying to call for weeks. They charge a fee but talking to an agent got my refund released so fast that it was totally worth it. I'd rather pay a bit to get my thousands in refund than wait another month.

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I'm in the exact same situation as OP. Did you have to provide any account info to Claimyr or just pay for the callback?

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Nope, they just arrange the callback. You still talk directly with the IRS agent about your specific situation. Its basically just a service that navigates the phone system for you and holds your place in line.

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ok but why should we have to pay extra just to talk to the IRS? this country is so broken 😤

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Because waiting 3+ hours on hold costs you more in time and sanity? I'm happy to pay to avoid that nightmare.

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I'm in the same boat. Filed through Jackson Hewitt on Feb 27, accepted Feb 28, and still processing. This is ridiculous! Last year it took 8 days total to get my refund. The system is broken.

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Tell me about it. I filed Jan 29 and JUST got my refund yesterday. No explanation for the delay. No letters. Nothing. Just had to wait.

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Same!! Filed Feb 1st and got it mid April. IRS is a joke this year

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Did you claim Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit? Those automatically take longer to process because of fraud prevention. Also check if you have a cycle code ending in 05 on your transcript - that means you're on weekly processing and only update on Fridays.

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Check your transcript!! Mine was delayed becuz of a simple mismatch between what i reported and what my employer reported. my W2 had a transposed number that i didnt catch. IRS held it for verification and didnt bother to tell me 🙃

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How do I check my transcript? I created an irs.gov account but it's confusing to navigate.

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go to irs.gov, log in, look for 'Get Transcript'. u want the 'account transcript' for 2024. Scroll to the bottom to see the most recent activity. Look for codes like 570/971 which usually mean there's an issue.

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And if you want help understanding what you're looking at on your transcript, check out taxr.ai - saved me hours of googling random codes and trying to figure out what they mean!

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Have you tried checking your status on the IRS2Go app? Sometimes it shows different info than the website for some weird reason.

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ur not alone, i filed feb 18 and literaly just got my refund yesterday. no explanation for the delay. the irs is seriously understaffed and dealing with millions of returns. just gotta be patient unfortunately 😩

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how did you survive the wait? I'm counting on this money for bills 😭

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It was tough ngl. had to put some stuff on credit cards and ask family for help. If ur in a real hardship situation, mention that when u call the IRS - sometimes they can expedite based on hardship.

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I've worked as a tax preparer for 6 years, and this year is exceptionally slow for many people. The IRS implemented new verification systems that are causing delays. Your return is probably stuck in the error resolution department, which doesn't necessarily mean you made an error - it could just be a system flag or random selection. If you don't receive your refund or a letter within 60 days of filing, that's when I'd really start pursuing it aggressively.

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Thank you for the insider perspective. That makes me feel a bit better. I'll give it until 60 days before panicking!

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TurboTax sucks tbh. I used FreeTaxUSA this year and got my refund in 9 days.

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The tax software has zero impact on IRS processing times lmao

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ok whatever but turbotax also charges like $150 for basically the same service 🤷‍♀️

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Is there anything unusual about your return? Like did you claim recovery rebate credit or have unemployment income? Those are red flags that can trigger manual review.

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Nothing unusual that I can think of. Just regular W2 income, standard deduction. That's why I'm confused about the delay.

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That is weird then. Definitely check your transcript. Could just be random bad luck - they do select some returns randomly for deeper review.

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ProTip: call your local congressman/woman's office. They have taxpayer advocates who can help expedite things if you've been waiting too long. worked for me last year when I was stuck in limbo for 3 months!

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Just to make you feel better: my sister filed February 1st and just got her refund TWO DAYS AGO. No explanation, no letters, nothing. Just a super long wait. The IRS is a disaster this year.

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I had to wait 72 days for my refund this year with no explanation. If you need to reach the IRS, forget trying to call their main number. I used this service called Claimyr and they got me a callback from an IRS agent within an hour. The agent said there was a random review flag on my account that was cleared weeks ago but my refund was stuck in the system. She pushed it through while I was on the phone and I got my $4700 refund 4 days later. Highly recommend if you're stuck waiting - claimyr.com

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this sounds like an advertisement 🤣

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Lol i can see why it sounds that way, but I'm just a very satisfied customer who got my refund because of it. After 2 months of waiting and getting nowhere, I was ready to try anything.

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bro i'm about to try anything at this point. been waiting since january and need this money for my car repair 😭

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watch ur bank account closely. sometimes the irs doesnt update the wheres my refund tool but the $ just shows up in ur account

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I just went through this nightmare. Filed Feb 10, didn't get my refund until April 22. Turns out I had an issue with my earned income credit calculation and they had to manually fix it. Got a letter explaining it AFTER the refund finally came. The system is completely dysfunctional.

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Wow, that's frustrating! Did you eventually get most of what you were expecting or did they adjust it a lot?

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They adjusted it down by about $340. Not the end of the world but annoying they couldn't tell me sooner.

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I gave up trying to figure out my transcript and used taxr.ai to analyze it for me. Turns out I had an income verification hold that wasn't obvious. The tool explained everything and told me exactly what to expect next. 10/10 recommend if you're stuck trying to decode IRS hieroglyphics lol https://taxr.ai

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I tried it too after seeing it mentioned here. Super helpful and saved me from having to call the IRS. Apparently my return was completely normal, just randomly selected for additional review that was already completed. Should be getting my refund next week!

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unpopular opinion: if ur expecting a big refund, you should adjust ur withholding so u get more $ during the year instead of giving the irs an interest free loan 🤷‍♂️

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This is literally the most popular opinion on every tax forum ever 😂 But you're right

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Some people use it as forced savings because they know they'd spend it otherwise. Different strokes for different folks

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do u have path act credits? EIC or ACTC? those are automatically delayed until mid feb at earliest. also did u verify identity? theres a special dept that handles identity verification that can cause major delays

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