How long have tax refunds via direct deposit been taking this year? Anyone getting theirs quickly?

The IRS is generally saying 21 days or less for most electronic returns with direct deposit this year, but I've been seeing a lot of variation in actual experiences. For simple returns with just W-2 income, many people are reporting getting their direct deposits in 7-14 days after IRS acceptance. If you claimed certain credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, there are mandatory delays until at least mid-February regardless of when you filed. Returns with unemployment income or other more complex situations tend to take closer to the full 21 days. Your best bet is to use the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website or their IRS2Go app. It updates once daily (usually overnight) and will show you a 3-step process: Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent. Once it shows "Refund Sent," you'll typically see the money within 1-5 business days depending on your bank.

I was in the same boat last month and found taxr.ai https://taxr.ai super helpful for tracking my refund when the IRS tool was still showing "processing." I was getting really anxious because I needed that money for some unexpected car repairs. Their system analyzed my filing confirmation and gave me a much more specific timeline prediction than the generic IRS estimates. It showed me exactly where my return was in the process and even identified that I had a minor issue that might cause a slight delay (which it did).

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that I mentioned in the other comment. I was super skeptical at first, but it actually helped a lot! Their system correctly identified that my return would likely take longer because I had both a state residence change and some investment income that typically triggers additional verification. They predicted 18-19 days, and I got my deposit on day 19. The regular IRS tracker was just stuck on "processing" the whole time with the generic "up to 21 days" message. Nice to have a more specific timeline when you're waiting on money!

When the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool wasn't updating for two weeks, I nearly lost my mind trying to call them. Busy signals for days! Eventually tried https://claimyr.com after seeing their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and it actually got me through to a real IRS agent in about 23 minutes. Turns out there was a small discrepancy with my reported withholding that was holding things up. The agent helped resolve it right there on the call, and my refund was approved two days later. Would've been waiting for a letter in the mail otherwise.

Ok I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my frustrated comment above, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS since my refund was showing an error code. Decided to try it as a last resort and... it actually worked. Their system called me back in about 40 minutes and connected me directly to an IRS agent who pulled up my return. Turned out I had transposed two digits in my routing number (totally my fault). The agent fixed it while I was on the phone, and I got my refund 3 days later. Would have been waiting weeks for this to get sorted out otherwise.

My experience this year: Filed Feb 2nd through TaxAct (simple return, just W-2), IRS accepted same day, refund deposited Feb 10th. So 8 days total for me. My girlfriend filed a week after me, also simple return, and got hers in 11 days. Seems pretty quick for straightforward returns!

I filed on January 28th with complicated taxes (self-employed, multi-state income, investments) and STILL waiting for my refund. The IRS tool just says "still processing" and it's been almost 4 weeks now. Called twice and got nowhere. This happens to me EVERY SINGLE YEAR and it's so frustrating!!!