IRS claims my 2024 tax refund was deposited February 25th but nothing in account by March 4th - bank says they can't help
I filed my taxes as Head of Household for 2024 early this year and I'm having an issue with my refund. I just checked the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool again and I'm looking at the screen right now that shows: Refund Status Results Return Received ā Refund Approved ā Refund Sent ā The page clearly states "Your refund was sent to your bank on February 25, 2025 for direct deposit." It also says "If your refund is not credited to your account by March 02, 2025, check with your bank to find out if it has been received." Under "Your personal tax information" it shows: Tax Year: 2024 Filing Status: Head of household Deposit date: February 25, 2025 The problem is that it's already March 4th, which is two days past the "check with your bank" date, and the money still hasn't shown up in my account. I've already contacted my bank as the IRS website suggested, but they're basically saying they can't help with anything tax related. They claim they don't see any pending deposits or rejected transactions related to my tax refund. I'm really frustrated because all three checkmarks are completed on the IRS website (Return Received, Refund Approved, Refund Sent), but the money is nowhere to be found. I was counting on this refund to pay some bills that are coming due. Has anyone else experienced this delay between the IRS claiming they sent the refund and it actually appearing in your account? What do I do now? Do I call the IRS directly, or should I keep waiting longer? Is there a specific department at the bank I should be talking to? I feel like I'm getting the runaround from everyone.
47 comments
Join the conversation
Fatima Al-Hashimi
I've dealt with this exact issue before. Here's what you need to know: When the IRS says they've sent your refund but it hasn't appeared in your account after the expected timeframe, there are a few possibilities: 1. The bank account number or routing number on your tax return was incorrect. In this case, the deposit would be rejected and the IRS would mail you a paper check instead (which takes 2-3 additional weeks). 2. There could be an issue with your bank's processing. Despite what they told you, banks CAN and SHOULD help with missing direct deposits, regardless of whether they're tax refunds. 3. The IRS system might be showing incorrect status information. Here's what to do: - Call your bank again and specifically ask them to check for pending deposits or rejected transactions with your name from the Treasury/IRS. Don't just ask generally about a tax refund. - Contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040 (though good luck getting through). You'll need to verify your identity with info from your tax return. - If you filed through a tax preparer, contact them as they may be able to help trace the refund. If it's been more than 5 business days since the deposit date, you should definitely take action rather than just waiting.
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
ā¢Thank you for this detailed response! I'll try calling my bank again with those specific questions about pending deposits from Treasury. Super helpful š
0 coins
NeonNova
ā¢I had the same problem last year and it turned out my bank was holding the deposit for "security verification" or something stupid. Def push your bank harder!
0 coins
Dylan Campbell
ā¢The IRS phone number is basically useless tho... I spent 3 hours on hold last month and then got disconnected š¤”
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
ā¢Oh no that sounds awful. Is there any other way to reach them besides that phone number?
0 coins
Sofia Hernandez
ā¢I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when I had a similar issue and got a callback from an IRS agent within an hour. They handled my missing refund problem right away. Best money I ever spent to get this resolved instead of waiting for hours on hold.
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
ā¢Never heard of that. Does it actually work? Seems too good to be true
0 coins
Sofia Hernandez
ā¢100% worked for me. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying to call for weeks. They got me talking to a real person at the IRS and my refund showed up 3 days later. Saved me so much frustration!
0 coins
Sofia Hernandez
After dealing with the EXACT same situation last year, I finally discovered taxr.ai and it totally changed my whole approach. Instead of making wild guesses about what's happening with my refund, it analyzed my transcript and explained the exact hold-up in plain English. It told me precisely what was going on with my refund and estimated when I'd actually receive it (which was different than what the WMR tool showed). Not only did it pinpoint my issue, but it also told me the correct department to contact. Honestly, posting in public forums like this is just guesswork - taxr.ai actually reads your official IRS data and tells you EXACTLY what's happening. Check it out at https://taxr.ai - it saved me so much stress!
0 coins
Dmitry Kuznetsov
ā¢Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
0 coins
Sofia Hernandez
ā¢It's way more than just reading a transcript. It pulls your official IRS data and then interprets all those confusing codes and dates that make no sense to normal humans. It explained every single line of my transcript, showed me exactly why my refund was delayed (had a freeze code I didn't know about), and gave me personalized steps to resolve it. I don't work for them or anything, I'm just completely blown away by how much clearer everything was after using it. Total game changer compared to trying to decipher all this tax jargon myself!
0 coins
Ava Thompson
ā¢idk seems kinda sus... another tax service promising miracles?
0 coins
Miguel Ramos
ā¢My buddy used this last week and I was skeptical too but he showed me the report it generated - pretty mind blowing actually. Shows you stuff you'd never figure out from the WMR tool.
0 coins
Zainab Ibrahim
I had the same issue happen to me but with a different timeline. The irs website showed a deposit on april 12 for my 2023 return. Nothin showed up in my bank account for almost 2 weeks. I called the bank multiple times and they kept saying they couldn't see any pending deposits and couldn't help. Super frustrating! I finally got through to an actual human at the IRS by using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they told me there was a problem with my bank info. turned out i had typed ONE digit wrong in my account number when filing! The IRS agent was able to update my info and they reissued the direct deposit which I got 3 days later. Talking to an actual agent saved me from waiting for a paper check which would've taken another month. Without that call, I would've been completely in the dark about what was happening.
0 coins
StarSailor
ā¢I keep seeing people mention this Claimyr thing. Is it actually legit or just some scam?
0 coins
Zainab Ibrahim
ā¢It's definitely legit! I was desperate after trying to get through to the IRS for days. Claimyr basically holds your place in line and calls you back when they get an agent. Saved me from wasting hours on hold. My refund issue got fixed in one call after the agent could see exactly what happened with my deposit.
0 coins
Connor O'Brien
ā¢does Claimyr work for all IRS departments or just refund issues?
0 coins
Yara Sabbagh
ā¢I used it to talk to someone about a CP2000 notice and it worked fine. Got a callback in about 45 minutes. Best money I've spent this tax season since it got my issue resolved immediately instead of stressing for weeks.
0 coins
Keisha Johnson
Sounds like you might have a routing number error on your return. When you called your bank, did you specifically ask if they rejected a deposit from the IRS? Sometimes they'll auto-reject if the name on the account doesn't exactly match what the IRS has. My wife had this happen - her return had her maiden name but bank account was in married name.
0 coins
Paolo Rizzo
OMG I'M IN THIS EXACT SITUATION RIGHT NOW!!!! ššš IRS website says my refund was sent on Feb 18 but my bank account is still empty. Called my bank and they're useless. So frustrating! Have you tried calling the IRS yet? I'm afraid I'll just waste hours on hold and never get through.
0 coins
QuantumQuest
ā¢Don't bother with the regular IRS line. I used claimyr.com to get through last week for a similar issue and they got me connected to an agent in under an hour. The agent was able to see that my deposit was rejected and they were sending a paper check instead. At least now I know what's happening instead of just wondering where my money is!
0 coins
Paolo Rizzo
ā¢Thx for the tip! I'll check it out. Did they charge you for the service?
0 coins
QuantumQuest
ā¢Yeah there's a fee but honestly it was worth every penny to actually talk to someone and get my issue resolved. I had been trying for weeks on my own with no luck.
0 coins
Amina Sy
If you e-filed yourself, double check that you entered your bank account info correctly. Common mistake! Even one wrong digit means your deposit gets rejected & they'll mail you a paper check instead. Same thing if your bank account was closed since you filed or if you used a temporary prepaid card that expired.
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
ā¢I double and triple checked the bank info when I filed, and my account is definitely still open and active. How long does it typically take for them to mail a check if that's what happened?
0 coins
Amina Sy
ā¢Usually 2-3 weeks after the direct deposit gets rejected. But honestly, you should call the IRS to confirm that's what's happening instead of just waiting blindly. You don't want to miss if there's another problem.
0 coins
Oliver Fischer
If your bank is being unhelpful, try asking specifically if they've received and rejected any ACH deposits from the US Treasury. Some banks don't show rejected deposits to customers but they have the records internally. Also, if you filed through a tax prep service that took fees out of your refund, the deposit might be coming through their bank first, which adds delay.
0 coins
Natasha Petrova
CALL THE IRS! Don't just wait, especially if it's been more than 5 business days. I spent hours on hold but finally got through and found out mine was rejected because my account was flagged for some reason. They never would have notified me if I hadn't called.
0 coins
Javier Morales
ā¢How did you get through to a person? Every time i call it's just the stupid automated system and then it hangs up on me because "high call volume" š¤¬
0 coins
Emma Davis
ā¢Instead of wasting hours trying to get through on their regular line, I used claimyr.com and it was a game changer. They got me on the phone with an IRS rep who could actually see what was happening with my refund. Turns out my bank had rejected it because my married name was different than what was on file. The agent switched me to a paper check on the spot. Worth every penny not to be in limbo anymore.
0 coins
GalaxyGlider
FYI: I went through this nightmare last year and it turned out my credit union had some policy about holding tax refunds for extra verification. They never told me until I went in person and raised hell. Might be worth visiting a branch if you can.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
Try looking at your actual tax transcript on the IRS website instead of just the Where's My Refund tool. It will show more detailed info about what's happening with your refund. The WMR tool is notorious for showing incorrect info.
0 coins
Isabella Silva
ā¢The transcripts are impossible to understand tho. All those weird codes and dates make no sense to normal people
0 coins
Ravi Choudhury
ā¢I had the same frustration trying to figure out my transcript until I used taxr.ai - it translated all the codes into plain English and showed me exactly what was happening with my refund. Turns out I had an offset I didn't know about, which is why my refund amount changed. Highly recommend checking it out if you're trying to decipher your transcript!
0 coins
Freya Andersen
My refund was showing the same message for almost 3 weeks before it finally showed up! The IRS and my bank were both useless and kept blaming each other. Eventually it just appeared in my account with no explanation. The system is so broken š©
0 coins
Giovanni Conti
ā¢That gives me some hope! Did you do anything special or it just randomly appeared?
0 coins
Freya Andersen
ā¢I called the IRS probably 10 times and finally got through to someone who said there was a "processing delay" whatever that means. They told me to just keep waiting, which was infuriating. Then it just showed up randomly on a Tuesday morning. The whole system is a mess.
0 coins
Omar Farouk
Check if you filed through a tax preparer who takes their fees out of your refund. If so, your money actually goes to their bank first, then to you, which adds a few days. This happened to me with TurboTax and the WMR tool doesn't mention this at all.
0 coins
CosmicCadet
This happened to me, and it turned out I had entered my account number wrong. They ended up mailing me a paper check about 4 weeks after the original deposit date. No notification or anything - the WMR tool never updated. Such a mess.
0 coins
Chloe Harris
Instead of spending weeks trying to guess what's happening with your refund, I highly recommend just using taxr.ai - it saved me SO much stress when I was in your exact situation. It analyzes your actual IRS transcript data and tells you exactly what's happening with your refund, whether there are any holds or issues, and gives you a more accurate timeline than the WMR tool. I was waiting for weeks with the same message you got, and taxr.ai showed me there was actually a review happening that the WMR tool wasn't showing. Totally worth checking out at https://taxr.ai
0 coins
Diego Mendoza
ā¢How is this different from just looking at your transcript yourself? Seems like just another service trying to charge for something you can do yourself...
0 coins
Chloe Harris
ā¢Have you ever tried to read an IRS transcript? It's like a foreign language with all the codes and dates that make zero sense unless you're a tax pro. taxr.ai translates everything into simple English, identifies issues the WMR tool doesn't show, and gives you specific next steps. Sure, you could spend hours researching all the codes yourself, but this does it instantly and accurately. Saved me days of stress and confusion when my refund was stuck.
0 coins
Anastasia Popova
ā¢I actually just tried this and it was amazing. Shows you exactly why your refund is delayed and what to do about it. Wish I'd known about this months ago!
0 coins
Sean Flanagan
The IRS refund status tool is a joke. It could say "refund sent" for weeks before anything actually happens. Your best bet is to call them directly, but good luck getting through their phone lines. The whole system is designed to be frustrating.
0 coins
Zara Shah
ā¢I gave up trying to call directly after spending 2 hours on hold and getting disconnected. I used claimyr.com and got a callback with an IRS agent within 40 minutes. They resolved my missing refund issue on the spot - found out my bank had rejected the deposit due to a name mismatch. Talking to a live agent was the only way I got answers. Best money I've spent this tax season!
0 coins
NebulaNomad
ā¢Is that service worth it though? Seems weird to pay just to talk to the IRS.
0 coins
Zara Shah
ā¢When you've been waiting weeks for a refund that's thousands of dollars, spending a little to actually get answers and fix the problem immediately is totally worth it. I wasted so much time trying to call myself and never got through. This way I fixed my issue in one day instead of waiting weeks more.
0 coins