How long to get tax refund approved with dependents in 2025?

Filed my taxes early on March 12th with my two children as dependents, but the status still just says "being processed" in the Where's My Refund tool. It's been over 3 weeks now and I'm starting to get worried. Last year I got my refund within 10 days! Has anyone else been waiting this long? I claimed the Child Tax Credit for both kids (ages 6 and 8) and did everything the same as previous years. Starting to wonder if I should call the IRS or just keep waiting...

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19 comments

Lucy Taylor

•8M

The IRS is experiencing significant delays this filing season. The standard processing time they're quoting is 21 days, but many people with dependents and tax credits are seeing longer wait times - sometimes 4-6 weeks or more. Your return likely got flagged for additional review because you claimed the Child Tax Credit. You can check your status using the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website or through the IRS2Go app. As long as it says "being processed" and not "under review," you're probably fine and just need to wait a bit longer.

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Lucy Taylor

•8M

Not every return with Child Tax Credit gets flagged, but the IRS does give additional scrutiny to returns claiming refundable credits. This is part of their fraud prevention measures. Many returns with dependents and credits do get selected for additional verification, which can add 1-3 weeks to processing time. The good news is that as long as everything on your return is accurate, you will eventually get your refund. The IRS is just overwhelmed with the volume of returns during peak filing season.

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KhalilStar

•8M

I was in the exact same situation last month - filed on Feb 28 with two kids (claiming Child Tax Credit) and it was stuck on "processing" for almost 5 weeks! I was about to lose my mind checking the Where's My Refund tool every day. Then I remembered a friend told me about https://taxr.ai which helped analyze my tax transcript and revealed I was actually in manual review. The tool helped me understand exactly where my return was in the process and when I could expect my refund. Sure enough, the system accurately predicted my refund would be approved within 8 days, and it was! Gave me peace of mind to know what was happening behind the scenes instead of just seeing "processing" forever.

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KhalilStar

•8M

It analyzes your tax transcript which contains way more detailed status codes than the "Where's My Refund" tool shows you. It's basically decoding what's actually happening with your return behind the scenes. The IRS has hundreds of internal processing codes that indicate exactly where your return is stuck and why. It does have a cost, but for me it was worth it just to know what was happening and get an accurate timeline. It accesses the same information that's in your transcript, but interprets all those confusing codes and cycle dates that most of us don't understand.

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Kaiya Rivera

•8M

Just wanted to follow up - I tried that taxr.ai tool someone mentioned here and it was super helpful! My return was apparently under manual review for "income verification" which is why it was taking so long. The tool estimated I would get my deposit on April 10th, and guess what? Got my refund yesterday, April 11th! Only one day off from their prediction. Definitely helped me stop stressing about checking the IRS site multiple times a day. The detailed timeline gave me a much better understanding of what was happening with my return than just seeing "still processing" for weeks.

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Katherine Ziminski

•8M

When I had this problem last year, I spent WEEKS trying to reach an actual human at the IRS. Called over 30 times, kept getting disconnected or told to call back later. Then I found this service called https://claimyr.com that gets you through to an IRS agent super fast. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but desperate after waiting 8 weeks for my refund with no updates. Used Claimyr and got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. The agent told me my return needed a simple verification that was overlooked, and they fixed it right then. Refund was processed within 3 days after that call.

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Katherine Ziminski

•8M

The service basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and waits on hold in your place. When they reach a live agent, they call you and connect you immediately. It's not magic - they're just using technology to handle the frustrating part of waiting on hold. It's definitely not a scam. It literally just handles the hold time for you, which is the worst part of calling the IRS. They don't ask for any personal tax information or anything like that. You're still the one talking directly to the IRS agent.

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Vanessa Chang

•8M

I need to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment, I was so frustrated with waiting (6 weeks at that point) that I tried the Claimyr service. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes when I had previously spent HOURS trying to get through. Turns out there was a discrepancy with my address that was holding up my refund. The agent fixed it while I was on the phone and my refund was approved 2 days later. Would have been sitting there for who knows how long otherwise. Sometimes you gotta try things even when you're skeptical!

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Madison King

•8M

Yes, it's completely different and often more helpful. Go to IRS.gov and create an account (or log in if you already have one). Then look for "Get Transcript Online" and select the account transcript for 2024. The transcript has a bunch of codes that show exactly what's happening with your return. Look for code 846 which means your refund has been issued. If you see code 570, that means there's a hold on your account. There are lots of guides online explaining what the different codes mean.

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