IRS "Action Required" message for my 2024 tax return - Head of Household status under review with no refund amount showing
I filed my taxes back in April for tax year 2024 as head of household and was expecting a decent refund. When I checked the IRS website yesterday at around 5:29 to see my refund status, I got this weird message saying "Action Required" and that they're reviewing my return. The IRS website showed this exact message: "Action Required Please read the following information related to your tax situation. You may need to provide additional information to receive your full refund. We received your tax return and are reviewing it. If we need additional information, we'll mail a notice with further instructions. If you've already received a notice, please follow the instructions. If we determine no additional information is needed, we'll continue to process your refund." Under "Your personal tax information" it shows: Tax Year: 2024 Filing Status: Head of household Expected refund amount: [was blank] It says they might need additional information and might mail me a notice with instructions, but I haven't received anything in the mail yet. The message also says if they determine no additional info is needed, they'll continue processing my refund. Has anyone else gotten this message? I'm not sure if I should just wait for a letter or call them or what. It's been almost 3 weeks since I filed and I'm getting anxious about my refund. I checked the sa.www4.irs.gov website but there's no additional information beyond this message. Should I be worried? Will this delay my refund significantly?
43 comments


Zainab Omar
This is actually pretty common. The "Action Required" message is a generic alert that the IRS puts on returns that need additional review before they can issue the refund. The most likely scenarios are: 1. They're verifying your Head of Household status (this is one of the most commonly audited items) 2. There may be an income discrepancy between what you reported and what employers/banks reported 3. They might be verifying credits you claimed (especially if you claimed EITC or Child Tax Credit) 4. Identity verification may be needed You'll likely receive a letter in 2-4 weeks with specific instructions. These letters typically have a number like CP75, LTR4883C, etc. When you get it, read it carefully as it will tell you exactly what they need. Don't panic - this doesn't mean you're being audited, just that they need to verify something before sending your money.
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Miguel Ortiz
•thanks for the detailed response! Do you know how long this typically takes to resolve once they send the letter?
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Zainab Omar
•It varies wildly depending on what they're verifying. Could be 2-3 weeks if its simple or 2-3 months if more complex. If they ask for documents, send exactly what they request - no more, no less. That speeds things up.
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Connor Murphy
•I had this same issue last year and it took about 7 weeks from seeing this message to getting my refund. They never even sent me a letter! The status just changed one day.
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Yara Sayegh
•This happened to me too! I was freaking out for nothing. System just updated on its own after like 6 weeks 🤦♀️
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NebulaNova
I was dealing with this exact confusing message a few months ago. After spinning my wheels trying to understand what was happening with my return, I used this AI tool called taxr.ai that actually explained what was going on. It scanned my transcript and told me exactly what the IRS was looking for and why my refund was delayed. Saved me from calling the IRS and waiting on hold for hours. It's insanely good! I use it every time I need to check anything tax-related now. https://taxr.ai
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Keisha Williams
•Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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NebulaNova
•It's way more than a transcript reader. It analyzes everything and explains what each code means, predicts timelines for your refund, and tells you if you need to take action. It literally told me my return was flagged for income verification before I even got the letter. Saved me weeks of anxiety.
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Paolo Conti
•is this one of those services that wants all ur personal info? not tryna get scammed here 🤔
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NebulaNova
•OMG it was an absolute GAME CHANGER for me! I had 3 different notices from the IRS and taxr explained everything in plain english. My accountant couldn't even tell me what was happening but this tool laid it all out. YOU NEED THIS if you're dealing with IRS nonsense!
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Amina Diallo
When I had this same issue last month, I was going nuts trying to get someone on the phone at the IRS. After wasting hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual IRS person within 45 minutes. claimyr.com saved me from the endless IRS hold music hell. The agent confirmed I needed to verify some income info, and once I did that over the phone, my refund was processed within days. Honestly it was the best investment I've made all year considering how much stress it saved me.
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Oliver Schulz
•wait how does that even work? the IRS phone system is literally designed to make you give up lol
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Amina Diallo
•They somehow navigate the phone system and get in line for you, then call you when they have an agent on the line. I was super skeptical but desperate enough to try it. Talking to a real person got my issue fixed in one call instead of waiting weeks for letters.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•sounds too good to be true tbh 🧐
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Amina Diallo
•I thought the same but was at my wits end. Getting someone who could actually see my file and explain exactly what was happening was worth every penny. The agent even processed my correction while I was on the phone.
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AstroAdventurer
•Just chiming in that I used this too and it worked. Getting a human on the phone cut through weeks of confusion.
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Javier Mendoza
The IRS is so maddening with these vague messages. I had the EXACT same thing happen and never got a letter at all. After 8 weeks my refund just showed up in my account. No explanation, no further contact. Just keep checking your bank account and Where's My Refund. The system is broken.
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Emma Wilson
Probably identity verification. I got this earlier this year, then about 2 weeks later got letter 5071C in the mail asking me to verify my identity online or by phone. Once I did that, it took another 9 days for my refund to be released. Check your mail carefully!
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Miguel Ortiz
•I've been checking my mail obsessively! Did you verify online or by phone? Which was easier?
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Emma Wilson
•I did it online and it was pretty quick - like 15 minutes. They asked questions only I would know based on my credit history. Make sure you have your tax return handy when you do it.
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Malik Davis
This is why I ALWAYS file a paper return. Never have these issues. Sure it takes longer initially but I've never had a single "review" or delay in 15 years.
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Isabella Santos
•bro what?? Paper returns are literally processed LAST and take MONTHS longer. This is literally the worst advice ever 🤣
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Malik Davis
•Your wrong. I filed paper March 1st and had my refund by April 20th. My sister filed electronic and got stuck in review for 3 months. The IRS computers flag electronic returns for stupid stuff all the time.
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Ravi Gupta
•*You're. And that's just anecdotal. The IRS literally says paper returns take 6-8 weeks minimum vs 21 days for electronic. You just got lucky.
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GalacticGuru
Check ur transcripts, not just WMR! WMR is useless. Your transcript will show actual codes that tell you what's happening. Look for codes like 570/971 which means a hold and a notice being issued. Or code 420 which is an audit. Google "IRS transcript codes" and you can be your own detective.
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Miguel Ortiz
•I tried looking at my transcript but all the codes are confusing. Theres a 570 code from 5/27 and a 971 code with the same date. What does that mean exactly?
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GalacticGuru
•570 is a refund hold and 971 means they're sending you a notice. Same date usually means they're related - they're holding your refund while they wait for you to respond to whatever they ask in the letter. Just wait for the mail, shouldn't be long now.
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Freya Pedersen
The IRS is SO behind this year. I work in a tax office and we're seeing tons of these messages. They're understaffed and overwhelmed. Just wait for the letter - calling won't help because most phone agents can't see the detailed reason for the hold anyway.
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Omar Fawaz
literally just went thru this!! they were verifying my w2 information because my employer submitted it wrong. took 11 weeks total but i finally got my refund last week. hang in there!
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Miguel Ortiz
•11 weeks?? Omg I hope mine doesn't take that long. Did you have to submit any documents?
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Omar Fawaz
•i had to send a copy of my w2 and a letter explaining the discrepancy. if your employer did everything right u might not have to wait as long as i did!
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Chloe Anderson
Check if you have access to your IRS transcript online. That'll give you more info than that vague message. But honestly, the IRS is a black hole. You just wait and pray 🙏
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Diego Vargas
If u claimed EITC or Child Tax Credit they ALWAYS review those more carefully. Its because of all the fraud. I file HOH every year and claim my two kids and get that review message like clockwork. Usually clears up on its own in 4-6 weeks.
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Miguel Ortiz
•I did claim both of those. Do they usually send a letter or does it sometimes just resolve itself?
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Diego Vargas
•In my experience it goes both ways. Sometimes I get a letter asking for proof the kids live with me (school records, medical records, etc). Other times it just processes through on its own. Depends how backlogged they are and if anything looks unusual on your return.
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Anastasia Fedorov
i had this happen and then got a letter saying they adjusted my refund amount because i made a math error. they actually gave me MORE money than i calculated lol. sometimes it works in your favor!
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StarStrider
The IRS website and Where's My Refund tool are absolute GARBAGE. I've literally never gotten useful information from them. They either say "processing" or some vague warning like you got. In 2022 mine said "action required" for 3 months then suddenly deposited the full amount with no letter ever sent.
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Sean Doyle
•This. Their systems are from like 1975. They can't even tell you what's actually happening with your own money. It's like dealing with a dinosaur 🦖
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Zara Rashid
•The funny part is they spent billions on "modernization" and the systems are still trash. Your tax dollars at work! 👏
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Luca Romano
Call them! I know everyone says it's impossible but I got through after trying at exactly 7:00 am on a Tuesday. The hold was because they needed to verify my identity. The agent helped me do it over the phone and my refund was released a week later.
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Nia Jackson
•You got incredibly lucky. I tried calling 23 times over 3 days and never got through. Just endless "due to high call volume" messages 😑
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Mateo Hernandez
Have you moved recently or changed banks? Sometimes that triggers additional verification. Also if this is your first time filing as HOH that can trigger a review.
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Miguel Ortiz
•I did move last year! That's probably what triggered it then. I updated my address when I filed but maybe that's what they're checking.
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