Has anyone actually gotten their refund after filing with FreeTaxUSA this season?

The IRS "Where's My Refund" tool typically updates once a day, usually overnight. For first-time filers, the IRS often takes a little longer to process returns because they're establishing you in their systems. This is completely normal! The standard processing time for e-filed returns is 21 days, but that's just an average. Some people get their refunds in a week, while others might wait 4-5 weeks, especially during the peak filing season (which we're in right now). Since your return was accepted, that means the IRS has it and it passed the initial checks - that's good news! If you claimed certain credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, there are mandatory delays by law. Otherwise, just keep checking the WMR tool every day or so. As long as it doesn't say there's an error, you're still in the normal processing window.

I had a similar issue last year with checking my refund status and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was super helpful for figuring out exactly what was happening with my return. I uploaded my tax documents to get an analysis of potential delays, and it actually identified that I had a slight mismatch in how my name was formatted between my W-2 and my tax return (I used my middle initial on one but not the other). This year I filed through FreeTaxUSA too, got accepted February 15th, and my refund appeared in my account on March 4th. But before it arrived, I checked again with taxr.ai just to make sure everything was on track. Their system confirmed that my return looked clean with no likely delay factors. Helped calm my nerves during the waiting period!

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I was worried because my refund status hadn't changed in over two weeks after filing with FreeTaxUSA. The analysis showed that I had accidentally used a slightly different address format than what was on my W-2 (apartment number placement was different). They explained this could cause a delay but wasn't serious enough to trigger a rejection. Sure enough, my refund was approved yesterday - exactly 18 days after acceptance. The wait was within normal timeframes, but knowing WHY I might be waiting longer definitely helped reduce my anxiety. Plus I know how to avoid that formatting issue next year! Worth checking out if you're stressing about refund delays.

After three weeks of staring at that stupid "processing" message on WMR, I finally got through to someone at the IRS using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of waiting on hold for hours, their system held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. The IRS rep confirmed my return was just in the normal processing queue but hadn't been assigned to an examiner yet due to high volume. Nothing was wrong - just typical IRS backlog. Got my refund 4 days after that call. Not sure if talking to them sped things up or it was just coincidence, but at least I stopped stressing about it. First time using FreeTaxUSA too (switched from TurboTax) and my experience was pretty smooth other than the wait.

Alright, I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself yesterday because I still couldn't get through to ask about my FreeTaxUSA return from February 18th. The service actually worked exactly as described. I entered my number, and about an hour later I got a call back with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent confirmed my return was selected for a quick identity verification due to it being my first time claiming some education credits. After answering a few questions, she approved my return right on the spot. My refund status changed to approved this morning, and the agent said I should receive it within 5 business days. So yeah... it definitely worked and probably saved me weeks of waiting and wondering. Sometimes being proven wrong is actually a good thing!

I've used FreeTaxUSA for 3 years now. This year I filed on Feb 9, accepted same day, refund hit my bank Feb 19. Last year was similar timeline. Super fast and easy both times. But I have a really simple return - just W2 income, standard deduction, nothing fancy. If you have credits, deductions, or anything that might flag for review, it can take the full 21 days or longer. My sister claimed education credits and it took almost 5 weeks for her refund to come through.

Anyone else notice that your refund date estimate in FreeTaxUSA doesn't match what WMR shows? My FreeTaxUSA account says "expected by March 18" but WMR still shows processing with no date.

I filed with FreeTaxUSA on February 20th and just got my refund deposited yesterday (March 12th) - so about 3 weeks total. I was getting worried too because the WMR tool showed "processing" for what felt like forever, then suddenly jumped to "refund approved" and "refund sent" within the same day. For what it's worth, I'm also a first-time filer (just turned 20) and only had a W-2 from my retail job. No special credits or anything complicated. The waiting was definitely nerve-wracking, but it sounds like you're still well within the normal timeframe since you filed on Feb 23rd. FreeTaxUSA itself was super easy to use - way better than paying TurboTax's crazy fees. The actual filing process went smoothly, it's just the IRS processing that takes forever during tax season. Hang in there!

I filed with FreeTaxUSA on February 25th (just two days after you) and I'm in the exact same boat - still stuck on "return received" with no movement on WMR. Also 19 and a first-time filer with just a simple W-2 return. It's honestly been driving me crazy checking that tool every single day! But reading through all these responses is really reassuring. Sounds like we're both still well within the normal processing window, especially during peak season. The fact that so many people here had similar wait times and eventually got their refunds gives me hope. I think I might try one of those services mentioned above if I don't see any movement by next week, just to get some peace of mind about whether everything looks okay with my return. But for now, sounds like we just need to practice patience - easier said than done when you're counting on that money though!