Is anyone else's tax refund still stuck on "received" status on the IRS website?

This is actually pretty common during peak tax season, especially in February and March. The IRS is dealing with millions of returns and their processing systems get backed up. A few things to keep in mind: The "received" status means they have your return, but haven't started processing it yet. When it changes to "processing," that's when they're actually reviewing your information. After that, it should move to "approved" and then "sent." For simple returns with no issues, it typically takes 21 days from acceptance to get your refund. But if there are any discrepancies or if your return gets flagged for any reason (which doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong), it can take substantially longer. Have you checked the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website? That sometimes has more detailed information than the general status page. Also, did you claim any credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit? Those can trigger automatic delays.

I was in the exact same boat last year! Filed in early February and my refund stayed on "received" for almost 6 weeks. I was going crazy checking the IRS site multiple times a day. What finally helped me was using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to check if there were any issues with my return that might be causing the delay. What I like about it is that it analyzes your tax return and tells you if there are any red flags that might be holding up your refund. In my case, it turned out there was a discrepancy between what my employer reported for healthcare contributions and what I had on my return. Once I knew what the problem was, I was able to call the IRS with specific questions instead of just asking "where's my money?

Just wanted to update - I tried that taxr.ai site the other commenter mentioned and it actually helped! It flagged that I had a mismatch between my reported health insurance payments and what my provider submitted (off by like $42, how was I supposed to know that??). I called the IRS this morning with that specific info and got transferred to someone who could actually help. They confirmed that was indeed what was holding up my refund and they're expediting it now. The agent said it would have eventually been resolved but might have taken another 3-4 weeks without my call. Should have my refund in 5-7 business days now!

I feel your pain. I was stuck in "received" limbo for over 5 weeks this year. After trying everything and getting nowhere with the IRS phone system, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a human at the IRS without the endless hold times. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when an actual person picks up. I was skeptical but desperate after wasting hours trying to get through myself. When I finally spoke to someone, they found that my return was flagged for a manual review because my address had changed since last year's filing.

Well I guess I need to eat crow. After my skeptical comment about that Claimyr service, I decided to try it myself since my refund has been stuck for 32 days now. It actually worked - got a call back in about 45 minutes and was connected with an IRS agent right away. Turns out my return was flagged because I had moved to a different state mid-year and there was some confusion about state tax withholding. The agent was able to verify my information and pushed my return forward. She said I should see it change from "received" to "approved" within 2-3 days and get my refund next week. Sorry for doubting - just so used to seeing scams in tax discussions.

Check if you've gotten any mail from the IRS. Sometimes they send a letter requesting additional information but don't update the online system. I was stuck on "received" for 2 months last year and was going crazy checking the app every day. Turns out they had sent me a letter 3 weeks earlier asking for verification of my identity. Once I did that, my refund was processed within a week.

Has anyone noticed that refunds are particularly slow this year? I filed on January 31st and I'm still waiting (46 days and counting). Last year I got my refund in like 18 days. Is the IRS especially backlogged this year or something?

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed on February 15th and still stuck on "received" status after 7 weeks. It's incredibly frustrating, especially when you're counting on that money for important expenses. One thing that's helped me stay a bit more sane is setting up email alerts through the IRS2Go mobile app instead of manually checking multiple times a day. At least that way I'm not obsessively refreshing the page. I also called my local Taxpayer Advocate Service office last week. They can't speed up the process, but they were able to confirm that my return is in the system and there are no obvious red flags. They said if it hits 8 weeks without any movement, they can open a case to investigate further. The waiting is awful, but from what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of people are dealing with longer delays this year. Hang in there - it sounds like once these returns start moving, they move pretty quickly to completion.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue - filed on February 12th and have been stuck on "received" status for over a month now. It's maddening! I've tried calling the IRS multiple times but can never get through to a human. What's really frustrating is that I have friends who filed weeks after me and already got their refunds. Makes me wonder if there's something wrong with my return that I'm not aware of. I double-checked everything before filing and used the same tax software I've used for years without issues. Has anyone had success with just waiting it out versus actively trying to contact the IRS? I'm torn between being patient and feeling like I need to be more proactive about finding out what's causing the delay.

I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience! Filed on February 3rd and have been stuck on "received" status for over 8 weeks now. Like many others here, I've been obsessively checking the "Where's My Refund" tool multiple times daily, which definitely isn't helping my anxiety. After reading through this thread, I'm really encouraged by the success stories with both taxr.ai for identifying potential issues and the various methods people have used to actually reach IRS representatives. It's reassuring to know this seems to be a widespread problem this filing season rather than something specifically wrong with individual returns. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I noticed that the IRS website has a section explaining that they're prioritizing refunds for people claiming certain tax credits (like EITC and Child Tax Credit) due to fraud prevention measures, but this might actually be causing delays for "regular" returns like ours that get pushed to the back of the queue. I'm planning to try the online IRS account creation that several people mentioned to see if there are any notices that aren't showing up in the refund tracker. If that doesn't reveal anything, I think I'll try one of the services mentioned here to get through to an actual person at the IRS. At this point, I'd rather know what's causing the delay than continue wondering if something is wrong. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and solutions - it's helpful to know we're not alone in this!

I'm experiencing the exact same frustrating situation! Filed on February 14th and have been stuck on "received" status for over 6 weeks now. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and helpful - it's clear this is a widespread issue this filing season. After seeing the success stories here, I'm definitely going to try creating an IRS online account first to check for any hidden notices, then possibly use taxr.ai to identify any potential issues with my return. The fact that several people found specific problems (like healthcare reporting discrepancies or address mismatches) that they had no way of knowing about is eye-opening. What's particularly frustrating is that my return is very straightforward - just W-2 income, standard deduction, and basic retirement contributions. No credits, no major changes from last year. Makes me think I might be caught in that general backlog rather than having a specific issue. Has anyone who found success with these services noticed if there are certain types of issues that are more common this year? I'm trying to figure out if I should focus on checking for data mismatches with employers or if it could be something else entirely. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines and solutions - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to navigate IRS phone trees!

I'm in the exact same boat and this thread has been a lifesaver! Filed on February 6th and stuck on "received" for over 7 weeks now. Like so many others here, I've been obsessively checking the IRS website multiple times a day, which is definitely not good for my mental health. What really resonates with me is how many people mentioned having straightforward returns but still experiencing these massive delays. I'm a single filer with just W-2 income and standard deductions - nothing complicated at all. But after reading all these experiences, I'm starting to think that even the most basic returns can get caught up in manual reviews or tiny data mismatches that we'd never think to check for. The success stories with taxr.ai are really compelling - especially the ones where people found small discrepancies in healthcare reporting or employer withholdings that were holding everything up. I had no idea that a $42 difference in health insurance reporting could delay a refund by weeks! I'm definitely going to create an IRS online account today to check for any notices, and if that doesn't reveal anything, I'll try taxr.ai. At this point, I'd rather pay a small fee to identify the problem than continue this endless waiting and wondering. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and solutions - it's incredibly helpful to know we're not alone in this mess!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare! Filed on February 22nd and have been stuck on "received" for over 5 weeks now. This thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about services like taxr.ai or that creating an online IRS account could reveal notices that don't show up in the regular refund tracker. What's particularly maddening is that my return is about as simple as it gets - single filer, one W-2, standard deduction, no dependents or credits. Yet here I am in the same boat as everyone else with these massive delays. The stories about tiny discrepancies in employer reporting causing weeks of delays are honestly mind-blowing. How are we supposed to know if our employer reported our health insurance premiums with a $20 difference? After reading all these success stories, I'm definitely going to create an IRS online account today to check for any hidden notices. If that doesn't reveal anything, I'll try taxr.ai to see if there are any data mismatches I'm unaware of. At this point, I'd rather spend a little money to identify the problem than continue this endless cycle of checking the website multiple times a day and getting more frustrated. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - it's both comforting and helpful to know this is a widespread issue affecting so many people with similar timelines. Hopefully we'll all see some movement soon!

I'm dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! Filed my return on February 16th and have been stuck on "received" status for over 6 weeks now. Like so many others here, I've been compulsively checking the "Where's My Refund" tool multiple times daily, which is definitely not helping my stress levels. This thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring - I had no idea that this was such a widespread issue this filing season. My return is also pretty straightforward (W-2 income, standard deduction, student loan interest), so I was really confused about why it was taking so long when friends who filed later already got their refunds. The stories about tiny discrepancies in employer reporting causing major delays are really eye-opening. I never would have thought that a small difference in health insurance reporting or withholding amounts could hold up a refund for weeks. It makes me wonder if there's some small mismatch in my return that I have no way of knowing about. Based on all the success stories shared here, I'm going to create an IRS online account first to check for any notices that might not show up in the refund tracker. If that doesn't reveal anything, I'll definitely look into taxr.ai to see if it can identify any potential issues with my return. At this point, I'd rather be proactive and possibly spend a small amount to figure out what's going on than continue this endless waiting game. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and solutions - it's both comforting and helpful to know I'm not alone in this!