IRS mailed refund check after failed direct deposit to online bank - how long to expect?
So my tax refund was supposed to hit my Varo account via direct deposit on March 14th. I checked WMR and it says they couldn't complete the deposit so now they're mailing a paper check. The app shows the check was sent out on March 9th. Anyone know roughly how long it usually takes to get a mailed refund check after the IRS sends it? Getting kinda nervous cuz I was counting on this money and my car payment is coming up.
45 comments
Pedro Sawyer
When the IRS has to mail a check after a failed direct deposit, it typically takes 2-4 weeks from the mail date before you'll receive it. The official IRS guidance says to allow up to 4 weeks, but most people receive it within 10-14 days. Some factors that might affect delivery time: - Your distance from the IRS processing center that mailed it - Current USPS delivery times in your area - Whether your address on file is current and complete If you don't receive it within 4 weeks from the mail date, you should contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040 to initiate a payment trace. But be warned - getting through to an agent can take hours unless you call right when they open.
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Gemma Andrews
Thanks for the detailed response. Im so stressed about this. Do you think calling them now would help or should i just wait the full 4 weeks?
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Pedro Sawyer
Honestly, if it's only been a couple weeks since the mail date, they'll just tell you to wait. The IRS won't start a payment trace until at least 4 weeks have passed.
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Mae Bennett
This happened to me last year and I got mine exactly 13 days after the mail date. USPS informed delivery helped track it.
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Beatrice Marshall
Instead of stressing and trying to piece together info from random strangers, I'd recommend using taxr.ai to understand exactly what's happening with your refund. I was in the exact same situation last month with a failed direct deposit, and the tool analyzed my transcript and explained the specific codes that showed when my check was actually mailed (which was different than what WMR showed). It gave me a predicted delivery window that was spot on. Check it out at https://taxr.ai - it's insanely good! I use it every week.
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Melina Haruko
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Beatrice Marshall
It basically takes all the cryptic codes on your transcript and explains them in plain English. Shows you refund dates, holds, adjustments, and even explains WHY things are happening. Way better than calling the IRS and getting different answers every time. It saved me so much stress!
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Melina Haruko
HOLY CRAP THANK YOU FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION! I just tried taxr.ai and it decoded my transcript perfectly! It showed my check was actually mailed yesterday and not on the date WMR claimed. This tool is seriously a game changer - everyone dealing with the IRS needs to know about this!
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Dallas Villalobos
Is it free tho? š¤
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Beatrice Marshall
It's worth every penny for the peace of mind alone. Would you rather spend hours on hold with the IRS just to talk to someone who might give you wrong info?
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Reina Salazar
I had exactly this problem last tax season. Direct deposit to Chime failed and they mailed a check. I was losing my mind waiting and couldn't get anyone on the phone at the IRS. I finally used this calling service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me a callback from an IRS agent within an hour! The agent confirmed my check was already on the way and gave me the actual mail date. Got my check 3 days later. Seriously the best money I've ever spent after wasting days trying to get through myself.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
sounds sketchy af...why would anyone pay for something the IRS does for free?
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Reina Salazar
Have you tried calling the IRS lately? I spent LITERALLY 6 hours on hold over 3 different days and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me a callback in under an hour. Time is money my friend.
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Demi Lagos
This worked for me too! Getting that callback from the IRS was incredible after weeks of failed attempts.
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Mason Lopez
can u actually talk to a real person though? or is it just another automated system?
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Reina Salazar
It's a real live IRS agent that calls you back. They helped me trace my refund and even fixed an issue with my account that was causing the direct deposit to fail.
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Vera Visnjic
Last year mine took 9 days from mail date. Year before was almost 3 weeks. It's a total crapshoot honestly. I hate that they mail paper checks when direct deposit fails - like what century are we in?? š
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Jake Sinclair
The IRS is a joke. They want their money IMMEDIATELY when you owe them, but when they owe you? "Oh, we'll get to it whenever, maybe in a month or two." My check took 22 days last year. Good luck.
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Brielle Johnson
THIS! The double standard is infuriating. They charge interest and penalties if you're late by a day, but they can take their sweet time refunding YOUR money.
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Honorah King
you actually DO get interest if they're super late with your refund. but yeah the system is still totally rigged against us regular folks
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Jake Sinclair
Yeah but the interest is like pennies compared to what they charge us š¤
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Oliver Brown
I've had this happen twice. First time took 12 days, second time took 19 days. Make sure your address is current with the IRS or it could get returned and that's a whole other nightmare.
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Mary Bates
Pro tip: Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery if you haven't yet. It emails you scans of mail coming that day so you'll know when your check is arriving before it hits your mailbox. Saved me from going crazy checking the mail every day when I was waiting for mine.
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Gemma Andrews
That's a smart idea! Just signed up for it, thanks!
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Clay blendedgen
Informed Delivery is clutch šÆ Helps with package tracking too
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Ayla Kumar
Why was the direct deposit rejected? I had the same thing with Chime last year bc I entered my account number wrong š¤¦āāļø Check took exactly 2 weeks from the date WMR said it was mailed.
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Gemma Andrews
Not sure exactly why it was rejected. I triple checked the numbers when I filed so I'm pretty confused. Varo has been weird about some deposits lately tho, so might be on their end.
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Lorenzo McCormick
These online banks are getting worse about accepting government deposits. My coworker had the same issue with Current last month.
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Carmella Popescu
Had the same thing happen to me but with my stimulus payment. I used taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to analyze my transcript after waiting 3 weeks and going crazy. It showed my check was actually mailed a week LATER than what the IRS tool told me! The AI explained exactly what was happening with my account and showed me it wasn't lost - just delayed. Saved me hours of stress and pointless calls.
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Kai Santiago
same! taxr.ai was awesome. showed me exactly why my refund was delayed and when to expect the check. worth every penny imo
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Lim Wong
do they need all ur personal info to use it? not comfortable giving all my details to some random site
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Carmella Popescu
You upload your transcript that you get directly from the IRS website. You're already logged into your IRS account, so you just download the transcript and upload it to taxr. It just reads what's already in your transcript - not asking for SSN or anything directly.
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Dananyl Lear
After weeks of trying to reach the IRS and getting disconnected, I stumbled across Claimyr.com and got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about 45 minutes. They confirmed my check was sent but to my old address! They helped me update it and re-route my check. Talking to an actual agent got my refund released so fast - would've been returned otherwise.
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Noah huntAce420
wait for real? i've been trying to get through to irs for WEEKS about my amended return
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Dananyl Lear
Yeah for real! It was the only way I could talk to a live agent. After spending hours trying to navigate their phone system and getting disconnected repeatedly, this was a lifesaver.
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Ana Rusula
I'm in the exact same situation rn!!! DD to SoFi failed and now waiting on a paper check that was supposedly mailed March 7th. Still nothing in my mailbox and I'm gettin real nervous. Did you check your transcript? Sometimes it shows a different date than WMR.
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Gemma Andrews
I can't access my transcript online cause I don't have a credit card or loan for their verification system š Super frustrating!
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Ana Rusula
Oh that SUCKS. The whole ID.me thing is a nightmare. If it helps, my check last year took 12 days to arrive after the mail date.
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Fidel Carson
I had the MAAAAD anxiety over this exact situation, yo. Like 2 weeks ago my refund was supposed to direct deposit to my CashApp and got rejected. Called IRS and was on hold for like 3 hours just to be told 'wait 4 weeks from mail date' š¤ BUT then I found claimyr.com which got me to an actual helpful IRS agent who found my check was actually lost in the system! He fixed it right there on the phone and I got it 5 days later! That agent was like 'yeah we see this all the time with online banks'
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Isaiah Sanders
mine took almost a month. its ridiculous! the irs sends mail via carrier pidgeon apparently lol. also fun fact: they mail checks from different regional centers, so depends where you live vs where its coming from
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Xan Dae
OK SO. When you say "couldn't be received" - did you check the actual code on your transcript? Because different codes mean different things. Code 971 means they're reviewing something. Code 846 with a future date is your actual refund issue date. You can analyze all this with taxr.ai instead of playing detective (what I had to do last year). Just upload your transcript and it explains everything.
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Fiona Gallagher
Second this. I've become a pro at reading transcripts the hard way š but tools like taxr.ai make it so much easier for normal people who don't speak IRS language fluently
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Thais Soares
i filed in january and STILL havent gotten my refund AT ALL. consider yourself lucky youre at least getting a check ššš
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
did u check ur transcript? might be under review
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Thais Soares
can't even access my transcript cuz the id verification thing keeps failing. the irs website is straight garbage
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