How long are 2025 tax refund wait times? Any delays this year?
So we've been using the same accountant for our taxes for probably the last 5 years now. She's great, super thorough, and always files electronically for us. In previous years, we'd see our federal refund hit our bank account within like 7-10 days tops. Fast and painless. But this year is different. We filed on February 12th (pretty early I thought) and it's now been almost 3 weeks with nothing. No refund, no updates when I check the IRS website, nothing. Our refund is about $3,400 this year, not drastically different from previous years. Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing longer wait times for tax refunds this filing season? Are the processing times longer across the board for some reason? I haven't seen anything in the news about IRS delays, but figured I'd ask here before I start panicking or bugging my accountant about it.
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Mia Alvarez
I work with tax returns regularly, and yes, there are definitely some longer wait times this year for tax refunds. The IRS is experiencing higher volume and has implemented additional fraud prevention measures that are slowing down processing for many filers. For electronically filed returns with direct deposit (which sounds like your situation), the typical timeframe this year is 21 days rather than the 7-10 days we've gotten used to in recent years. Some factors that could extend this timeline: claiming certain credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, requiring manual review, or if there are any discrepancies that trigger additional verification. I'd recommend checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website for updates. If it's been 21+ days since your electronic filing was accepted and you don't see any specific error messages, then it might be worth having your accountant make an inquiry.
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Zachary Hughes
•Thanks for the insight! I have been checking Where's My Refund tool almost daily but it just says "Your return is still being processed." No other details. Good to know 21 days is more typical now - I'm almost at that point so maybe I'll just be patient for another week before I start making calls. Do you know if they're notifying people when there's something that requires additional verification, or do they just silently hold the refund while they sort it out?
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Mia Alvarez
•The IRS typically won't proactively notify you if your return is under additional review. The "still being processed" message is actually quite common and doesn't necessarily indicate a problem - it just means your return is in the queue and hasn't completed processing yet. If there's an actual issue requiring your attention, the status would change to something more specific or you'd receive a letter in the mail. In most cases, the return just takes a bit longer to process and will eventually complete without any action needed on your part. If you haven't received any letters and you're approaching that 21-day mark, I'd say you're still in the normal range for this filing season.
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Carter Holmes
Had the exact same problem and was pulling my hair out waiting. After endless attempts trying to call the IRS (impossible to get through!), I found this tool called taxr.ai that scanned my documents and told me exactly why my refund was delayed. Turns out there was a small discrepancy between what my employer reported and what was on my return. The website is https://taxr.ai and it basically extracted all the info from my docs and spotted issues I never would have caught. Saved me weeks of waiting and wondering!
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Sophia Long
•Does it actually work with the Where's My Refund info, or do you have to upload your actual tax return? I'm hesitant to upload my full tax documents to some random website.
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Angelica Smith
•I'm curious - how does it know why your refund is delayed if the IRS doesn't tell you? Does it have some special access to IRS systems or something? Sounds almost too good to be true.
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Carter Holmes
•It works by analyzing your tax return documents and cross-referencing the data points against common verification triggers. You upload your return (they use the same security as banks), and it identifies discrepancies or issues that commonly cause delays. No, it doesn't have special access to IRS systems. It uses pattern recognition based on thousands of analyzed returns to identify what's likely causing your delay. In my case, it found that my W-2 box 1 amount didn't match what was entered on the return (off by $120) which is exactly the kind of small error that triggers manual verification. It was surprisingly accurate!
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Angelica Smith
Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try that taxr.ai site after posting my skeptical comment. I was honestly surprised at how helpful it was! Uploaded my return documents and it immediately flagged that I had a name mismatch issue - my married name on my W-2 but filing under my maiden name with the IRS. Didn't even think about that being an issue but according to the site it's one of the top reasons for processing delays. Once I knew the problem, I was able to contact the IRS with the specific issue rather than just asking "where's my refund?" Got it resolved and my refund is now scheduled to be deposited next week. Would have been waiting for who knows how long otherwise!
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Logan Greenburg
I had an even worse experience than you. Filed early February and waited 6 weeks with zero updates! Tried calling the IRS maybe 20 times and could never get through - always busy signal or disconnected after waiting an hour. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual IRS agent. Their system basically holds your place in line so you don't have to sit there with your phone for hours. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent told me my return was flagged for manual review because of a math error (!!) and they needed to verify my identity. Once I talked to a human, they cleared it up in like 10 minutes and my refund was processed within days. Would've been waiting forever otherwise.
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Charlotte Jones
•Wait how does this even work? I've tried calling the IRS like 50 times and always get disconnected. How can some service get you through when the lines are completely jammed?
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Lucas Bey
•This sounds like a scam. No way some third-party service has special access to IRS phone lines when millions of people can't get through. They're probably just taking your money and you got lucky with timing.
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Logan Greenburg
•It uses an automated system that continuously calls and navigates the IRS phone tree until it reaches a place in line, then it calls you and connects you. It's not "special access" - it's just automation that does the tedious part for you. I was super skeptical too but I was desperate after 6 weeks of waiting. The service just holds your place in line so you don't have to waste hours redialing or waiting on hold. When they get through, they call you and connect you directly to the next available IRS agent. I was connected within about 45 minutes of signing up when I'd previously spent days trying on my own.
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Lucas Bey
I have to come back and eat my words. After posting that skeptical comment about Claimyr, I was still stuck waiting on my refund and getting desperate (mortgage payment coming up). Decided to try it as a last resort and... it actually worked exactly as described. Got a call back about 30 minutes after signing up, and suddenly I was talking to a real IRS agent! Found out my return was held up because they couldn't verify my identity since I moved last year. The agent was able to verify me over the phone and release the hold on my refund. Status changed from "processing" to "approved" literally while I was on the call. Never been so happy to be wrong about something. Already received my refund and it would have been stuck for who knows how long without getting through to a human.
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Harper Thompson
Not to be a downer, but I've been waiting 9 weeks for my refund. Filed first week of February, still nothing. IRS "Where's My Refund" tool just says it's processing. Called multiple times but can't get through. This is ridiculous! Anyone else waiting this long?
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Caleb Stark
•Have you tried checking your tax transcript instead of just Where's My Refund? Sometimes the transcript shows more detailed info about what's happening with your return. Go to irs.gov, create an account if you don't have one, and request your 2024 account transcript. Look for codes like 570 (refund hold) or 971 (notice issued).
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Harper Thompson
•Thanks for the tip! I hadn't even heard about the transcript option. Just checked and I see code 570 dated March 18th, then code 971 dated March 25th. Guessing that means they're sending me a letter? Wish they'd just tell us this stuff instead of making us decode their secret language. Now I'm even more worried but at least I know something's actually happening.
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Jade O'Malley
For whatever its worth, I just got my refund yesterday after exactly 23 days (filed Feb 3, got refund Feb 26). No special credits or anything complex on mine tho. Direct deposit.
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Hunter Edmunds
•Did you have to do anything special or did it just suddenly show up? Mine's been 25 days and still nothing.
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Jade O'Malley
•It just showed up without warning! The Where's My Refund tool was still saying "processing" in the morning, and then I happened to check my bank account in the afternoon and the money was there. The Where's My Refund tool updated to "sent" later that same day, so it seems the tool isn't always real-time. Maybe check your bank account directly instead of relying just on the IRS tool?
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Tony Brooks
I'm in a similar boat - filed on February 15th and still waiting after 20 days. The "Where's My Refund" tool has been stuck on "processing" the entire time with no updates. Reading through these comments has been really helpful though! Based on what others are sharing, it sounds like 21+ days is becoming more normal this year due to increased fraud prevention measures. I'm going to wait until I hit the 21-day mark before I start worrying too much. For those dealing with longer delays, the suggestions about checking your tax transcript for specific codes and using services to get through to the IRS seem like good options if you're past the normal timeframe. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes me feel less alone in this waiting game!
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