How long does it take to get tax refund approved with dependents?

Yes, I've been checking "Where's My Refund" almost daily and that's where I'm seeing the "still being processed" message. It hasn't changed at all since about a week after I filed. Should I try calling the IRS at this point or just keep waiting?

I'd recommend waiting until you hit the 8-week mark before calling the IRS. Their phone lines are notoriously difficult to get through on, and they'll likely just tell you the same thing - that your return is still within normal processing timeframes for returns with dependents. If you do reach the 8-week mark with no update, then it might be worth giving them a call to see if there's any specific issue they need information from you to resolve. Sometimes they need verification of dependent eligibility or other documentation, but they typically send a letter if that's the case.

Did you have to pay for that service? I'm in a similar boat and wondering if it's worth using. Does it actually help speed up your refund or just tell you why it's delayed?

I'm always skeptical of third-party services that claim to give you special information about IRS processing. How do they have access to data that we can't see ourselves on the IRS website?

You don't have to pay anything upfront - they have different options depending on what you need. It doesn't speed up your refund directly, but it helps you understand where exactly your return is in the process and why it might be delayed, which the IRS website doesn't tell you. They use aggregated data from thousands of tax returns to identify patterns in IRS processing times based on specific factors in your return. It's not magic - they've just analyzed enough data to know that returns with certain combinations of credits or deductions typically take X amount of time to process. In my case, they were accurate to within 3 days of when my refund was actually approved.

Wait, how does this actually work? Does this service somehow let you skip the IRS phone queue? That seems too good to be true considering how impossible it is to reach an agent.

This sounds like a scam. Why would I pay a third party to call the IRS when I can do it myself? And how do they get through when millions of other people can't? Seems fishy to me.

It doesn't let you skip the queue exactly - they use technology to navigate the IRS phone system and wait on hold for you. When they finally get through to an agent, they call you and connect you directly. So you don't have to waste hours listening to the hold music and pressing buttons in the phone tree. I was skeptical too, but it's not a scam. The reason most people can't get through is because they give up after waiting for 1-2 hours or get disconnected. This service basically has systems that can stay on hold indefinitely and know exactly which options to select in the phone tree to reach a human. They're just doing the waiting for you. I wasted 3 hours trying on my own before using it, and it was definitely worth it to finally get answers about my refund delay.

I haven't received any letters yet. I've claimed both kids for the past 3 years, so it's not a new situation. Their mom and I have a formal agreement about who claims which child each year, so there shouldn't be any conflict there. Should I still be checking for mail from the IRS, or would they have contacted me by now if that was the issue?

If you've claimed the same children for multiple years without issues, it's less likely to be a verification problem. However, the IRS sometimes sends letters requesting information 4-6 weeks after filing, so it could still arrive. Mail from the IRS can also sometimes look like regular mail or get lost, so it's always good to check carefully. But honestly, at this point it sounds more like normal processing delays rather than an information request problem. The IRS processing times really have been significantly longer this year for returns with dependents.

The PATH Act is still in effect, but since the original poster filed on March 5th, that wouldn't be causing their delay. The PATH Act prevents the IRS from issuing refunds before mid-February for returns claiming EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit, but once we're past that date, it shouldn't be a factor anymore.

Thanks for clarifying! I wasn't sure if they had extended those delays or if it was still just the mid-February cutoff. Makes sense that it wouldn't affect March filers.