IRS Discrepancy: Transcript Shows "No Tax Return Filed" vs WMR Says "Received" - February 2025

Super confused rn. When I check my transcript it explicitly shows "NO TAX RETURN FILED" for my account, but the Where's My Refund tool shows it's been received. Looking at my transcript details, it shows all these zeros which I don't understand: ACCOUNT BALANCE: $0.00 ACCRUED INTEREST: $0.00 AS OF: Feb. 26, 2025 ACCRUED PENALTY: $0.00 AS OF: Feb. 26, 2025 ACCOUNT BALANCE PLUS ACCRUALS (this is not a payoff amount): $0.00 The transcript clearly states at the top "ANY MINUS SIGN SHOWN BELOW SIGNIFIES A CREDIT AMOUNT" but there aren't any credits showing. Under the "INFORMATION FROM THE RETURN OR AS ADJUSTED" section: - EXEMPTIONS: 00 - FILING STATUS: Single - ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME: [blank] - TAXABLE INCOME: [blank] - TAX PER RETURN: [blank] - TAXABLE INCOME TAXPAYER: [blank] - TAXABLE INCOME SPOUSE: [blank] - TOTAL SELF EMPLOYMENT TAX: [blank] And then in bold it says "RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT" At the bottom under "TRANSACTIONS" and "EXPLANATION OF TRANSACTION" it literally just says "No tax return filed" with a CYCLE DATE column that's empty. The page also has "This Product Contains Sensitive Taxpayer Data" at the bottom. What's going on here? How can Where's My Refund say they received my return but my transcript clearly shows "NO TAX RETURN FILED" and "RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT"? Is the system just not updated yet? Has anyone else experienced this weird disconnect between the two IRS systems? I'm seriously stressed about this contradiction.

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15 comments

Alicia Stern

The transcript details confirm your situation - it shows all zero balances ($0.00 current balance, $0.00 accrued interest, and $0.00 accrued penalties as of Feb 24, 2025) and explicitly states "RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT" with "No tax return filed" under transactions. Your filing status is listed as Single, but all income fields are blank, including adjusted gross income and taxable income. This mismatch between Where's My Refund (WMR) and your transcript is actually quite common during early processing stages. WMR typically updates first when the IRS receives your return, while transcripts take longer to reflect changes in their system. The transcript's "NO RETURN PRESENT" message simply means the return hasn't been fully processed and entered into the transcript system yet. The processing delay usually resolves within 7-10 business days, at which point your transcript should update to show your return details. If you still see this discrepancy after two weeks, it would be advisable to contact the IRS directly for clarification. The blank income fields and zero balances are normal at this stage and will populate once your return is fully processed in the system.

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