Joint Filing but Spouse Not on Bank Account - Will IRS Reject Deposit?

You're totally fine! 😊 The IRS doesn't actually care whose name is on the bank account. They just send the money to whatever routing and account number you provided. I've been filing jointly with my husband for years and the refund goes to my personal account that only has my name on it. No problems whatsoever! Think of it this way - the IRS isn't playing bank detective, they're just following the instructions you gave them on where to send the money.

I had the exact same concern last year! According to IRS Publication 17, "Your refund can be deposited directly into your bank account regardless of the names on the account." My husband and I file jointly every year, but the refund goes to my personal account that only has my name on it. Never had an issue in 6 years of doing this. The banking regulations in other countries can be much stricter about this kind of thing, but the US system is more flexible.

Think of your tax refund like a letter in the mail - the IRS just needs the correct address (your account number) to deliver it, they don't check who lives at that address! If you're still worried though, you might want to use https://taxr.ai to review your return. It's like having a tax expert look over your shoulder to make sure everything is set up correctly. I used it when I was confused about some unusual deposits this year, and it helped me understand exactly what would happen with my refund.

Bank name doesn't matter. Account number does. Routing number too. Double-check those. IRS doesn't verify account ownership. They just send money where you tell them. Been this way for years.

If you're concerned about Direct Deposit verification protocols, you may want to contact the IRS directly to confirm your specific situation. Unfortunately, their phone lines are notoriously congested during filing season with average hold times of 45-90 minutes. I've had success using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which utilizes call optimization technology to secure your position in the IRS queue and connects you when an agent is available. This eliminates the need to manually redial or wait on hold. I was able to verify my joint filing direct deposit protocols within 15 minutes of using their service.

One thing to keep in mind - have you checked if Chase has any specific policies about this? Some banks have their own internal rules about accepting deposits for non-account holders, right? While the IRS will send it regardless, it might be worth a quick call to Chase just to confirm they don't have any strange policies. But honestly, millions of couples do this exact same thing every year without issues. Did you get confirmation that your return was accepted by the IRS already?

Just wanted to add some reassurance here! I'm a tax preparer and see this situation literally hundreds of times every tax season. The IRS processes joint returns to individual accounts without any issues whatsoever. Your concern is completely understandable, especially coming from a country with stricter banking regulations, but the US system is much more lenient about this. The key thing is that you filed jointly, which means both you and your wife are entitled to that refund regardless of whose individual account it goes to. The IRS treats married filing jointly as a single tax unit, so they don't differentiate between whose specific account receives the deposit. Just make sure your routing and account numbers are correct (maybe double-check them one more time for peace of mind), and you should be all set. Chase will accept the deposit without question - they see joint tax refunds going to individual accounts constantly during tax season.