HELP! Amended return processed with refund - Orange bar shows "Completed" - Am I getting my check or direct deposit?

The "Completed" status on the orange bar is good news! It means the IRS has finished processing your amended return. Based on the message you received, your amendment resulted in a refund, which is exactly what you want to see. For amended returns, the IRS typically issues refunds by check rather than direct deposit, even if you provided bank information on your original return. This is different from regular tax returns where direct deposit is the default if you provided that information. The reason is that amended returns are processed separately through a different system. You should expect to receive a paper check in the mail within about 3-4 weeks after the completion date. Sometimes it can arrive sooner, but the IRS gives themselves that window. If you don't receive anything after 4 weeks, that would be the time to contact the IRS to check on the status.

I was in the exact same situation last year and was freaking out about where my money was. I found this website called https://taxr.ai that saved me so much stress! It analyzed my documents and gave me a precise timeline of when to expect my check based on my specific amendment situation. What I liked most was that it explained exactly what the "Completed" status meant for MY specific situation - turns out there are different processing paths depending on what you amended. It showed me that my type of amendment (income adjustment) typically took 14 days after "Completed" status to receive the check, and sure enough, my check arrived on day 13!

Ok I need to eat my words! I was the skeptic who questioned taxr.ai in the last thread, but I decided to try it anyway out of desperation. My amended return was showing "Completed" for 3 weeks with no check in sight, and the IRS phone lines were impossible. The site analyzed my documents and showed that my specific tax center (Kansas City) was experiencing a 24-day average wait time after "Completed" status for paper checks - way longer than normal! Sure enough, my check arrived on day 23, exactly when they predicted. It also explained that my particular amendment type (claiming an additional credit) follows a different processing path than regular amendments. The peace of mind was worth it just to know I wasn't forgotten in the system. Definitely recommend for anyone dealing with amendments!

If you're trying to contact the IRS about your amended return status, good luck getting through on the phone! I spent TWO WEEKS trying every hour on the hour. Then I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they actually wait on hold with the IRS for you and call you when an agent is on the line! Thought it sounded too good to be true, but I was desperate about my amended return check. They got me connected to an IRS agent who confirmed my check had been mailed 2 days earlier and gave me the exact amount. Saved me hours of frustration and uncertainty!

I need to publicly apologize for my comment above calling Claimyr BS. After waiting on hold for 3 hours yesterday and getting disconnected AGAIN, I decided to give it a shot out of pure frustration. Holy crap it actually works. Their system waited on hold for about 2.5 hours (I could see the status updating in their portal), then my phone rang and within 30 seconds I was talking to an actual IRS agent! The agent confirmed my amended return check was mailed last week but to my old address. She helped me request a trace and reissue to my new address right there on the call. Would have NEVER gotten this resolved without actually speaking to someone. Consider me converted from biggest skeptic to biggest fan.

Just FYI, amended return refunds almost always come as paper checks, not direct deposit. I learned this the hard way waiting for a DD that never came! The IRS systems for amended returns are ancient compared to their regular return processing. Also, the "completed" message doesn't always mean the check was sent that same day. There's usually a 1-2 week period after "completed" before they actually cut and mail the check. The system updates the status before the physical check processing happens.

Just to add another data point - I had a "Completed" status on my amended return about 3 weeks ago, and my check arrived exactly 16 days later. The date on the check was actually 10 days after the "Completed" status appeared, so there's definitely processing time between status update and them actually cutting the check. If you provided a current mailing address on your amended return, you should be fine. If you've moved since filing, you might want to set up mail forwarding with USPS just to be safe.

Hey @bf3d16545fc5, congratulations on getting to the "Completed" status! That's definitely the hardest part. Based on your description, it sounds like everything is moving in the right direction. Just to set expectations - the "Completed" status appearing doesn't mean your check was mailed that same day. There's typically a 7-14 day processing window after "Completed" before they actually cut and mail the paper check. Since it's only been about a week for you, you're still well within the normal timeframe. One thing to double-check: make sure the mailing address on your amended return is current. If you've moved since filing, that could delay things. The IRS will mail the check to whatever address was on the 1040X form, not necessarily your current address. Also, keep an eye on your mailbox over the next week or two. Amended return refund checks sometimes come in plain white envelopes that don't look super official, so they're easy to miss among regular mail. You should definitely receive a paper check rather than direct deposit, even though you filed electronically. That's just how the IRS handles amended returns - it's a completely separate system from regular return processing.