How long does Michigan State Tax Review take? Stuck in processing for 6 weeks
Filed my Michigan state taxes back in early April and got an acceptance confirmation right away. But then about 2 weeks later my refund status changed to 'review' and it's been stuck there for over 6 weeks now. No letter or explanation why it's being reviewed. Every time I check the Where's My Refund tool it just says the same thing - still being reviewed. Has anyone else from Michigan dealt with this? How long did your review take to complete? My federal refund came through weeks ago with no issues, just waiting on this $1,432 state refund. I've tried calling but can't get through to anyone helpful.
47 comments
Katherine Hunter
I work as a tax professional and can tell you that Michigan's Department of Treasury has been experiencing significant delays this year. The 'review' status typically means they're verifying information on your return - could be income verification, identity verification, or checking for potential fraud markers. A few things to consider: • Reviews are taking 8-12 weeks on average this year (much longer than normal) • You should have received a letter if they need additional information - check your mail carefully • If you haven't received a letter, it's likely an automated review that doesn't require action from you • You can try calling first thing when they open (8am) for better chances of reaching someone • Make sure you're checking your status with the correct information (SSN, exact refund amount, etc.) If it's been more than 8 weeks, I'd recommend sending a secure message through Michigan Treasury Online rather than calling.
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Emma Morales
Thank you so much for this information! I've been checking my mail carefully and haven't received anything so hopefully that means I dont need to provide additional info. I'll give it another 2 weeks before trying the secure message approach.
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Lucas Parker
Is using the Michigan Treasury Online messaging system better than calling? I'm in the same situation (8 weeks in review now) and getting desperate.
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Katherine Hunter
Yes, the secure messaging system is definitely more reliable than calling right now. You'll get a response within 3-5 business days usually, whereas phone wait times can be 2+ hours with no guarantee of reaching someone knowledgeable.
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Donna Cline
this is really helpful info, thx for sharing. I'm at week 7 of review and was starting to panic
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Harper Collins
I've been dealing with tax headaches for years and finally found something that actually helps make sense of everything. I started using taxr.ai for my transcript and tax issues and it's been a game changer. Instead of spending hours trying to piece together what's happening with my taxes like some kind of detective, it actually explains everything clearly. For Michigan state taxes specifically, it helped me identify why my return was under review and what I needed to do. It's insanely good! I use it every week now for all my tax questions. Check it out: https://taxr.ai
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Kelsey Hawkins
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Harper Collins
It does WAY more than just read transcripts. It analyzes all your tax docs, explains every code and notice in plain english, shows exactly where things are in the process, and even gives personalized recommendations for your situation. It saved me hours of stress trying to figure out why my MI refund was delayed.
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Kelsey Hawkins
Just tried taxr.ai and WOW. I've been struggling with Michigan tax problems for months and this tool immediately showed me exactly what was happening with my review status. Worth every penny! Can't believe I wasted so much time before finding this.
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Dylan Fisher
is this some kind of ad? seems sus 🤔
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Harper Collins
Not an ad lol. Just sharing what worked for me after weeks of frustration. Try it if you want or don't, up to you 🤷♂️
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Edwards Hugo
just checked out taxr.ai and it's legit helpful for understanding state tax issues too, not just federal
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Gianna Scott
After battling with MI treasury for almost 9 weeks with my return stuck in 'review' I finally found a way to talk to an actual human. I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at MI treasury within 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. The agent explained exactly why my return was flagged for review (income verification issue) and processed it while I was on the phone. My refund was released 2 days later. Honestly, getting someone on the phone was the difference between waiting another month or getting it resolved immediately. Best money I've ever spent to finally talk to a live person who could help.
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Alfredo Lugo
does that actually work for state tax departments too? I thought it was just for IRS
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Gianna Scott
Yep it works for Michigan Treasury! They have options for both federal and state tax agencies. The callback feature saved me from having to redial 50 times a day trying to get through.
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Sydney Torres
sounds too good to be true. why would they be able to get through when regular people cant?
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Gianna Scott
They use some kind of automated system that keeps dialing until it gets through. I don't know the exact tech but all I know is I wasted days trying to call myself with no luck, then used Claimyr and had an agent on the phone within 20 min. My refund is already in my account now after being stuck for 9 weeks.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS!! I just used Claimyr and finally got through to someone at MI Treasury after trying for weeks. They found my return and fixed an issue that was holding it up. Should have my refund next week! Talking to an agent got my refund released so fast 🙏
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Caleb Bell
Michigan resident here. Mine took exactly 10 weeks in review status and then suddenly was approved and deposited a few days later. Never received any communication or explanation of why it was reviewed. Just a waiting game unfortunately.
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Emma Morales
Ugh 10 weeks sounds painful but at least you eventually got it. Did you do anything to speed it up or just wait?
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Caleb Bell
Just waited it out. I tried calling a few times but could never get through, and eventually gave up and just checked the status every few days. It was frustrating but eventually resolved itself.
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Danielle Campbell
I filed in March and my MI refund went to review status for over 9 weeks. I finally received a letter asking for wage verification (which made no sense because my employer definitely reported everything correctly). I uploaded the requested docs through Michigan Treasury Online and then it took another 3 weeks to process after that. Total time was about 3 months from filing to refund. The Michigan tax system is broken this year.
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Rhett Bowman
I'm on week 13 of a review for michigan state taxes. no letter. no explanation. absolutely ridiculous. the system is a joke.
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Abigail Patel
THIRTEEN WEEKS??? oh hell no 😡 that's straight up theft at this point
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Rhett Bowman
Tell me about it. And they dont pay interest until after 45 days which is a joke considering how long these reviews are taking. Michigan owes me $2,189 and I'm about ready to drive to lansing and camp out until they give me my money lol
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Daniel White
My MI state refund was under review for 7 weeks. I found out it was because I had moved mid-year and they were verifying my address. Once I uploaded my driver's license through their online system it was processed within 5 days. Check if you need to verify your identity or address - that's a common reason for reviews.
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Emma Morales
How did you find out that was the reason? Did they send you a letter?
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Daniel White
Got a letter about 6 weeks in asking to confirm identity. But the letter arrived after they had already put me in review status for weeks with no explanation. Really frustrating communication.
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Nolan Carter
Different state but similar issue with NY taxes. Was under review for 11 weeks and finally got my refund. These state tax departments are severely understaffed and using outdated fraud detection systems that flag legitimate returns all the time. Hang in there.
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Natalia Stone
The Michigan Department of Treasury is a complete disaster this year. They've admitted they're dealing with a massive backlog and increased fraud prevention measures. I finally reached someone after using claimyr.com and they told me they have thousands of returns stuck in manual review with not enough staff to process them. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent. The agent was actually super helpful once I finally got through and released my refund while I was on the phone with them.
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Tasia Synder
I keep hearing about this claimyr thing. does it actually work? seems weird that they can get through but we cant
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Natalia Stone
It absolutely works. They use some automated system that basically handles the hours of busy signals and hold times for you. When they get through, they call you back and connect you. I was skeptical too but was desperate after 7 weeks of waiting. Talking to an actual person solved my issue in minutes.
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Selena Bautista
Pro tip: if you're still waiting after 45 days from when you filed, Michigan is required to pay you interest on your refund. So at least you'll get a little extra for the wait.
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Mohamed Anderson
The interest is like 5% annually, so on a $1,400 refund that's only about $5-6 per month. Not exactly making up for the hassle 🙄
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Selena Bautista
True but better than nothing I guess. Taking our money interest-free is essentially an interest-free loan to the government.
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Emma Morales
I didn't know about the interest thing, thanks for mentioning that. At least that's something.
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Ellie Perry
my michigan return was in review for 11 weeks this year. it was pure hell and they never told me why. i tried calling 25+ times and couldnt get through. finally just showed up in my account one day with no explanation. the system is fubar
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Landon Morgan
After spending hours trying to figure out what was happening with my Michigan tax review, I used taxr.ai and it completely changed my experience. It analyzed my situation, explained what the review likely meant based on my specific return details, and gave me step-by-step instructions on what to do. It even generated a letter I could send to MI Treasury to expedite the process. Highly recommend checking it out: https://taxr.ai
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Teresa Boyd
another ad for this taxr thing? 🙄
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Landon Morgan
Not an ad, just sharing what worked for me. I was stuck in review for almost 2 months before I found something that actually helped. Take it or leave it.
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Lourdes Fox
I actually just tried taxr.ai too after seeing it mentioned and it immediately identified that my MI review was likely due to an income mismatch. Turns out one of my 1099s had been reported differently. Fixed it and my refund was processed a week later!
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Bruno Simmons
I've lived in Michigan all my life and the state tax department has NEVER been this slow. My parents, my sister and I all filed around the same time in March. My parents got their refund in 2 weeks, my sister is still in review (12 weeks now), and mine took 9 weeks in review. There's no rhyme or reason to their process this year.
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Aileen Rodriguez
Try contacting your state representative! After 8 weeks of "review" with no explanation, I reached out to my Michigan state rep's office. They have special contacts at the treasury department and were able to inquire about my return. Got my refund 10 days after they intervened.
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Emma Morales
Wow thats a great idea, I never thought of that approach. Did you just call their office?
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Aileen Rodriguez
Most have contact forms on their websites. I filled that out with my info and brief explanation, and their constituent services person called me back the next day. They asked for my info and permission to inquire about my taxes, then followed up a week later saying they'd made contact with treasury.
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Zane Gray
Michigan resident here. Mine was under review for 9 weeks, then randomly approved with no explanation. Pretty standard for MI these days unfortunately.
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Maggie Martinez
I always get flagged for review by Michigan becaus I work remotely for an out-of-state company. This year was 11 weeks of review. Last year was 13 weeks. It's ridiculous but seems to be their normal process now.
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