ID verification requested on Where's My Refund and now what happens?
I filed my taxes about 9 days ago and checked the Where's My Refund tool like I always do, but this time it asked me to verify my identity on ID.me. This has never happened before and I'm honestly confused because everything in my tax situation is basically identical to the last 4 years. The only change I made was switching from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA this year (the fees were killing me). My address and phone number have been the same for over 10 years, so I don't understand why they suddenly need to verify who I am. I went ahead and did the ID.me verification process which was kind of a hassle with uploading my driver's license and doing that face scan thing. But now when I go back to the Where's My Refund tool, it just says "Your tax return is still being processed." It's been 3 days since I verified and no updates. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do they need more time after verification or did I mess something up? I was counting on getting my refund around the same time as usual (about 2-3 weeks after filing). Any insights would be appreciated!
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Liam McGuire
This is actually pretty common for the 2025 filing season. The IRS has significantly increased identity verification requirements this year to combat tax refund fraud. The switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA likely triggered an additional security review since the IRS system noticed a change in your filing pattern. After completing ID.me verification, it typically takes the IRS 7-10 business days to update your filing status. The "still being processed" message is normal during this waiting period. The good news is that your return hasn't been flagged for audit or review, just identity verification. The IRS is processing most verified returns within their normal timeframe (21 days), but you should add those extra 7-10 business days for the verification processing. If you don't see an update after two weeks from verification, you might want to call the IRS or check your tax account transcript online for more details.
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Amara Eze
•How do you check your tax account transcript online? Is that different from the Where's My Refund tool? And is there anything else we should be watching out for after doing the ID.me verification?
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Liam McGuire
•You can check your tax account transcript by going to IRS.gov and setting up or logging into your online account. Then navigate to "Get Transcript Online." This shows much more detailed information than the Where's My Refund tool, including specific codes that indicate what's happening with your return. After completing ID.me verification, there's nothing specific you need to watch for. The IRS won't ask you to verify again through email or phone calls, so be cautious of any such requests as they could be scams. Just keep checking Where's My Refund and your tax transcript every few days for updates.
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Giovanni Ricci
I went through this exact same thing last month and was super frustrated until I found taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai which seriously saved me so much stress. When my return got stuck in that "still being processed" limbo after ID verification, I uploaded my tax documents and they explained exactly what was happening with my refund and why the verification was triggered. Apparently switching tax software (I also switched from TurboTax!) can sometimes flag your return in their system. The tool analyzed my return and showed me that nothing was actually wrong - it was just the verification delay. It even gave me a pretty accurate estimate of when my refund would actually come through, which helped me stop obsessively checking the IRS site every hour lol.
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NeonNomad
•Did you have to upload your entire tax return or just certain forms? I'm a little nervous about uploading all my tax docs to some random website.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•What makes taxr.ai different from just checking your transcripts yourself? Those are free from the IRS website. Also, did you have to verify your identity again with them? Seems like overkill after already doing ID.me.
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Giovanni Ricci
•You only need to upload the specific forms related to your issue - in my case, just my main 1040 form and the verification notice. They use the same encryption as banks, so I felt pretty secure. What makes it different is that it translates all those confusing transcript codes into plain English and gives you actual timing estimates. When I checked my transcript myself, I had no idea what all those codes meant. With taxr.ai, it explained exactly what was happening and predicted my refund date within 2 days of when I actually got it. And no, no additional identity verification - you just upload the documents.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
Just wanted to update about my experience with taxr.ai since I was skeptical at first. After continuing to get nowhere with the IRS website, I decided to try it. Uploaded my docs and within minutes got a clear explanation that my return was just in a standard verification queue and nothing was wrong. They showed exactly where my return was in the process based on the transaction codes. The best part was they predicted I'd get my refund by April 22nd, and guess what? Deposit hit my account on April 23rd. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind alone. Next time I have any tax confusion or delays I'm checking there first instead of stressing for weeks.
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Dylan Mitchell
If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about your verification status (which I HIGHLY recommend if it's been over 2 weeks), use Claimyr at https://claimyr.com - I was in the same boat after ID verification and kept getting the "still being processed" message for THREE WEEKS. After trying for days to call the IRS myself and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr and they got me connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes. They have this system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when an agent picks up. You can even watch them waiting on hold for you in real-time here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent told me there was an additional verification step needed that wasn't mentioned in the original notice, and they were able to clear it right on the call. My refund was processed 2 days later.
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Sofia Martinez
•How does this actually work? Do they call the IRS for you or do they somehow get you to the front of the line? The IRS phone system is such a nightmare.
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Dmitry Volkov
•Sounds like a scam tbh. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS for me when I can just keep trying for free? And how do you know they aren't just listening to your conversation with the IRS to get personal info?
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Dylan Mitchell
•They don't call for you - they use an automated system that navigates the IRS phone menus and waits on hold. When an IRS agent finally picks up, Claimyr calls you and connects you directly. You're the only one who talks to the IRS. It's definitely not a scam. They don't listen to your call or get any of your personal info - they literally just connect you when an agent is available. I spent over 5 hours trying to call myself across multiple days and could never get through. With Claimyr I was talking to an actual IRS person in less than 30 minutes while I went about my day. They even sent me text updates while they were on hold.
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Dmitry Volkov
Need to eat my words from before - Claimyr actually worked. After posting that skeptical comment, I tried calling the IRS myself for THREE MORE DAYS with no luck. Finally broke down and tried Claimyr, and they got me through to an IRS agent in about 40 minutes. Turns out my ID verification had been completed but there was a hold on my account because my W-2 information didn't perfectly match what my employer submitted (my employer misspelled my name slightly). The agent fixed it right on the call. My refund was approved literally the next day and is scheduled for deposit next week. Would have never known this without actually talking to someone.
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Ava Thompson
Just want to add that when this happened to me, my refund status went from "still being processed" to an actual refund date almost exactly 9 business days after I completed the ID.me verification. It was super frustrating because there was zero communication about this timeline. I think the system is just backlogged with all these new verification requirements.
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Mei Zhang
•9 business days isn't too bad I guess. I'm on day 5 now. Did your WMR status change at all during those 9 days or did it just suddenly update with a refund date?
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Ava Thompson
•It showed "still being processed" the entire time, then suddenly jumped to "refund approved" with a direct deposit date. No in-between status or updates at all. The process is definitely not transparent, which makes it stressful. Just hang in there - if nothing changes by day 10 or 11, that's when I'd consider calling them.
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CyberSiren
Make sure you didn't miss any emails from ID.me after you verified! My husband had this same issue and thought he completed verification, but there was an additional email with a "confirm identity" button he needed to click. Check your spam folder too. His refund was stuck for weeks until we figured this out.
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Miguel Alvarez
•Yes! This happened to me too! The confirmation email went to my spam folder and I never clicked the final link. As soon as I did that, my return started processing again.
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Mei Zhang
•Thanks for this tip! I just checked and I don't see anything in spam or inbox from ID.me since the initial verification. I think I completed everything since I got a confirmation screen, but I'll double check by logging back into ID.me to make sure everything shows completed.
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Kelsey Hawkins
I had the exact same experience with the ID verification after switching from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA this year! It's definitely frustrating when you've been filing the same way for years and suddenly get flagged. One thing that helped me track progress was setting up the IRS online account to view my tax transcript - it shows much more detail than Where's My Refund. Look for codes like 971 (which indicates identity verification) and 570 (which means your account is frozen pending verification). Once you see a code 571, that means the freeze has been released and your refund should process within a few days. The whole process took about 12 business days for me from verification to actual refund deposit. I know it's nerve-wracking when you're used to getting your refund on schedule, but it sounds like you did everything correctly. Just give it a few more days and you should see movement!
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Kara Yoshida
•This is super helpful info about the transcript codes! I had no idea those specific numbers meant different things. I'm going to set up that IRS online account today to check my transcript. It's reassuring to know that 12 business days is normal - I was starting to panic that something went wrong with my verification. Thanks for breaking down what to look for!
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Leo Simmons
This is such a relief to read! I'm going through the exact same thing right now - filed with FreeTaxUSA for the first time after years of using TurboTax, and got hit with the ID.me verification request. I was so worried I'd done something wrong or that my return was flagged for audit. I completed the ID.me process about a week ago and have been obsessively checking Where's My Refund every day with no updates. Reading all these experiences makes me feel so much better - it sounds like 7-14 business days is totally normal for the verification processing. I'm definitely going to set up that IRS online account to check my transcript like others suggested. It's frustrating that the IRS doesn't communicate these timelines better, but at least now I know this is just part of their new security measures and not a sign that something's wrong with my return. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
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