Got Georgia State Refund Already (2/22) - Federal Still Pending?

This is actually pretty common this year! Here's what's happening: 1. State and federal processing systems are completely separate 2. Georgia has been unusually fast this season (many getting state refunds within 10-15 days) 3. Federal returns are taking 21+ days even for simple returns 4. The IRS has a backlog from late January/early February filers 5. If you claimed certain credits (like EITC or CTC), the PATH Act prevents refunds before mid-February As long as your WMR shows "Processing" and not an error message, you're still on track! The transcripts will update before WMR in most cases.

Did you e-file or paper file? Makes a huuuuge difference in processing time. Paper filers are still waiting from last year, lol. 😂

I had the exact same situation last year - Georgia came through super quick while federal dragged on for weeks. After waiting 32 days with no updates, I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to reach an actual IRS agent. Got connected in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own with no luck. The agent confirmed my return was just in normal processing and nothing was flagged. Got my direct deposit 5 days later! Sometimes you just need to talk to a human to get peace of mind.

Have you checked your tax transcript instead of just WMR? The Where's My Refund tool is notoriously outdated compared to what's actually happening with your return. Wouldn't it make more sense to look at the actual processing codes on your account transcript? That will tell you if there's a real delay or if you're just in the normal queue.

I'm a bit worried about using services like Claimyr... do they need access to your personal information? How do you know it's secure? Couldn't this potentially cause more issues with your return if someone unauthorized is calling on your behalf?

Cycle dates and processing pipelines are different for each refund type. The IRS Master File processing occurs in batches according to specific weekly cycles, while most states use a more streamlined approach. Georgia specifically has invested in modernizing their DOR systems over the past three years, resulting in significantly faster processing times. Your federal refund is likely still within normal timeframes for the current processing cycle.