June 5th and STILL No Update on My Refund - I'm Losing My Mind!

You're in what we call the "extended processing" period. I've tracked this extensively - the average wait time for 2024 returns filed in February is now 98 days for returns with certain credits, compared to the typical 21 days the IRS claims. The system is backlogged by approximately 6.2 million returns as of May 30th. The most likely explanation is that your return has been flagged for manual review, which doesn't necessarily mean there's an error. Check your transcript for codes 570/971, which indicate a hold was placed. If you filed with EITC or CTC, expect another 14-21 days minimum.

I was in the same situation last year - filed on February 15th and didn't get my refund until June 12th! I was checking WMR daily and driving myself crazy. I finally tried taxr.ai on May 20th to analyze my transcript, and it showed me exactly why my return was delayed (it was a verification issue with my mortgage interest deduction). The site predicted I'd get my refund on June 10th - it came June 12th, so pretty accurate! Saved me a lot of anxiety knowing what was happening and when to expect my money.

You need to speak with an actual IRS agent. They can tell you exactly what's happening with your return and possibly release it if it's stuck in processing. I tried calling the regular IRS number for 3 days straight and couldn't get through. Then I used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in 18 minutes. The agent found that my return had been flagged for income verification but was actually completed - they just hadn't released it. She processed the release while I was on the phone and I got my deposit 5 days later. I'm a bit worried you've been waiting since February though - that's definitely longer than normal.

Tbh this is why I always file in April now. IRS is a mess w/ early filers this yr. My bro filed in Feb and still waiting, but I filed April 10 and got my refund May 2. Weird but true. Also check if ur return might have PATH Act delays - if u claimed EITC or ACTC they can't release before mid-Feb anyway, and those returns get extra scrutiny. Might also wanna check if ur state tax refund is held up too - sometimes they wait for fed verification.

It appears that you're likely experiencing what's known as a manual review situation. In most cases, this is resolved without any action needed on your part, though it can certainly take longer than expected. If you haven't already, you should probably check your tax transcript for specific codes - particularly look for a 570 code (which indicates a refund hold) possibly followed by a 571 code (which indicates the hold was released). It's also worth noting that approximately 15% of returns filed in February are experiencing similar delays this year, so while frustrating, it's not necessarily uncommon. Your best course of action would be to either call the IRS directly or use one of the services mentioned above to reach them more efficiently.

I was AMAZED at how quickly my issue got resolved once I finally reached someone! After waiting since February (just like you), I: • Called the Taxpayer Advocate Service instead of regular IRS • Explained I had a financial hardship (home repair counts!) • Provided documentation of my hardship • Got my refund released within 9 days The key was getting to the right department. Regular IRS agents often can't help with these stuck returns, but TAS has more authority. Your timeline sounds EXACTLY like mine was - filed in February, still nothing by June. Don't give up!

Here's what's actually happening with February filers this year: Step 1: Your return entered the normal processing queue Step 2: Due to high fraud prevention measures this year, returns with certain deductions (especially homeowner deductions) were flagged for extra verification Step 3: These returns were moved to a secondary processing queue with longer timeframes Step 4: The IRS is processing these in batches, not individual order I know this because I'm a tax preparer and have 17 clients in this exact situation. 12 of them have received their refunds in the past 2 weeks after waiting since February. The others should receive theirs by mid-June based on current processing patterns. The system is working through the backlog now, so you should see movement very soon.