IRS refund approval shows but direct deposit hasn't arrived after 2 weeks - are they delaying payments?

I work in tax preparation and see this all the time. Here's what's likely happening: - Code 846 on your transcript shows your refund date, not necessarily the day it hits your bank - The IRS sends refunds in batches, and banks often hold them 1-3 business days - May 17th was a Friday, so your bank may have received it but not processed until this week - If you're past 21 days since filing (which you are), you have the right to call the IRS There's also a possibility of an offset or bank verification delay. I'd suggest: 1. Check if your bank shows any pending deposits 2. Verify your account wasn't closed or changed 3. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 (though wait times are horrendous) 4. Check your transcript again for any new codes A tool like taxr.ai can help you understand exactly what's going on with your transcript and identify any issues. Much easier than trying to decode all those codes yourself!

I was in the EXACT same situation last month. Spent weeks trying to decode my transcript and understand what was happening with my refund. Was approved but nothing showing up. Got tired of playing detective so I used taxr.ai and it was a game changer! It analyzed my transcript and explained exactly why my refund was delayed (had a random review flag) and when I could expect it. Saved me so much time and worry compared to what I was doing before - which was basically just staring at transcript codes and googling random numbers hoping to piece together what was happening. The tool actually explained everything in normal human language! https://taxr.ai

After dealing with the same problem for over a month, I finally got someone on the phone using the Claimyr app (claimyr.com) who explained that my refund was approved but got stuck in a manual review queue. The agent fixed it on the spot and my deposit hit two days later. Talking to a real person was the only way I got this resolved - saved me from weeks more waiting. Best money I've ever spent considering I was waiting on $5K+ that I needed for my kid's summer program.

Depends on ur bank too. My transcript showed May 2nd for the refund date but I didnt get it till May 9th. Some banks (especialy the online ones) hold the money for a few days. Also check if you had any offsets if you owe money somewhere like student loans or child support they take it out before sending whats left. You can call the offset number at 800-304-3107 to see.

mine was stuck in the approved but not sent stage for a MONTH this year. the IRS is a joke. i had to call them 7 times before i finally got through and they said it was a "random review" that was holding things up. after i called magically it was released the next day. they're totally holding onto our money on purpose to make interest on it.

If your transcript showed code 846 with May 17th date, you should definitely have it by now. My experience with direct deposit is that it usually hits my account either ON the 846 date or 1-2 business days later. Never more than a week. Something else is going on. Could be: 1. Wrong account number or routing info 2. Account closed or problems with bank 3. An offset where they're applying refund to other debts 4. The dreaded "random review" flag Don't wait any longer. Get help asap.

The IRS is a total dumpster fire this year, I filed in February and didn't get my refund until mid-May despite being "approved" in March. It's honestly ridiculous how they operate. You probably need to call them but LOL good luck with that 🤡

I know this is frustrating. Just to add a datapoint for comparison, I e-filed around the same time (April 22) and had 846 code dated 5/10 and the money hit my account on exactly 5/10. If you're seeing that much of a delay after the 846 date, something's definitely off. Have you checked for any transcript updates since? Sometimes new codes appear.

Check if you have a credit union or small local bank. They sometmes hold deposits longer than the big banks. Also double check that the last 4 of your acct number on your transcript matches your actual account. If they don't match, the deposit bounced back to IRS and they'll mail a check which takes another 4-6 weeks. Ask me how I know 😭

Mine was "approved" for 3 weeks then I got a letter in the mail saying they adjusted my refund amount. Turns out they found a math error (supposedly) and reduced my refund by $300. Check your mail carefully, maybe something similar happened to you and they're recalculating.

Last year I used taxr.ai to figure out what was happening with my refund and it showed me exactly what was causing the delay. My refund was approved but then got flagged for additional review because of some education credit issue. The transcript showed the codes but I had no idea what they meant until I used the tool. Saved me so much time compared to trying to piece it together myself! https://taxr.ai

2 weeks is nothing lol. I was stuck on "approved" for 6 weeks earlier this year. The IRS is operating on government time, not real person time. If ur past 21 days from filing u can try calling but the phone lines are a nightmare.

I had this EXACT problem two weeks ago! Went thru HELL trying to reach them. Tried the regular line, tax advocate, everything. Finally used claimyr.com to get through to a live agent. Turns out my banking info was correct but they still couldn't direct deposit for some weird technical reason. The agent issued me a paper check while I was on the phone. Got it 7 days later. These problems don't resolve themselves - you need to talk to someone!

2 weeks? That's nothing. Try 4 months. Welcome to IRS hell, we've all been waiting for you 😈

Call the Tax Advocate Service at 877-777-4778! They can help when your refund is delayed beyond the normal timeframe. Tell them it's causing financial hardship since you need it for home repairs.

omg I wasnt going to reply but my situation was IDENTICAL. Filed 4/25, approved 5/10, had code 846 for 5/15. Weeks went by and nothing. Called everyday with no luck. finally used claimyr.com to get a callback and the agent said my refund was stuck in their system and needed manual release. She fixed it in 2 minutes and the money hit my account the next morning. Talking to a live person was the only way this got fixed.

This exact same thing happened to me last year! Code 846 showed up on my transcript but no deposit for almost 3 weeks. Turned out my bank (Wells Fargo) had some internal flag on my account that was blocking the IRS deposit - something about "unusual large deposit detection" even though I'd been getting refunds there for years. The IRS kept trying to send it but it kept bouncing back to them. I only found out when I finally got through to someone at the IRS who told me they had multiple failed deposit attempts. Had to get a paper check issued instead which took another 2 weeks. Definitely call your bank first to make sure they're not blocking it on their end before spending hours trying to reach the IRS!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Filed on April 30th, got approved on May 15th with code 846 dated May 20th, and it's been radio silence ever since. My transcript hasn't updated with any new codes either. I've been checking my bank account obsessively and called the IRS line about 8 times with no luck getting through. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like there might be some kind of system glitch or bank issue that's preventing the deposits from going through properly. I'm going to try calling my bank first like Sofia suggested to see if there's any kind of block on their end. If that doesn't work, I might have to bite the bullet and try one of those callback services people are mentioning. It's so frustrating because you'd think once they approve it and give you a deposit date, that would be it! But apparently there's a whole other layer of things that can go wrong. Keep us posted on what you find out - hoping we both get this resolved soon!