No PATH Act Message Yet - Filed Jan 16 with EITC
I was studying the IRS processing patterns on TaxChatUSA.com and noticed something odd in my situation. I filed on January 16th (earliest possible date according to multiple tax sites) with EITC included, but I still haven't received the PATH Act delay message in WMR. It's just saying "still processing" when I check. According to IRS2Go and TaxTracker forums, most EITC filers should have gotten the PATH message by now. Has anyone else not received this message yet? I'm wondering if this is a good sign or if something's wrong with my return. I've triple-checked my AGI calculations and all my investment income reporting was meticulous.
12 comments
Join the conversation
Taylor Chen
The PATH Act message doesn't appear for everyone who's affected by the PATH Act delays. Per Internal Revenue Code Section 32(m) and the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, the IRS is required to hold all refunds that include EITC until at least February 15th, but they're not required to display a specific message about it. According to the most recent IRS Processing Guidelines (Publication 5344), many returns are simply held with a generic "still processing" status. This is completely normal and doesn't indicate any issues with your return.
0 coins
Keith Davidson
You need to look at your tax transcript, not WMR. WMR is notoriously unreliable and often shows incorrect or outdated information. I had the exact same situation last year. Use taxr.ai to analyze your transcript - it'll tell you exactly what's happening with your return and when to expect your refund. It correctly identified that my return was held for manual review despite WMR showing only "processing." Saved me weeks of anxiety wondering what was happening.
0 coins
Ezra Bates
•Is taxr.ai actually accurate though? I've heard about transcript analyzers but the IRS website says only they can give definitive refund dates. Does it actually work with PATH Act delays specifically?
0 coins
Ana Erdoğan
•I've used taxr.ai for my PATH Act delayed returns and can confirm it works! • It identified my 570 hold code before it even showed on WMR • It explained exactly why my refund was delayed (verification of income) • It predicted my exact DDD three days before it appeared • It showed me which credits were being reviewed Seriously wish I'd known about it years ago instead of calling the IRS repeatedly.
0 coins
Sophia Carson
•Do you need your transcript first? Where do you get that? My WMR just says processing.
0 coins
Elijah Knight
I went through this exact PATH delay nightmare last year. Waited 7 weeks with no updates, kept getting the automated system when calling. Finally used Claimyr to get through to an actual IRS agent. Found out my return was flagged for income verification which wasn't showing anywhere online. The agent released the hold while I was on the phone and I got my refund the next week. Worth every penny not to waste hours on hold - https://www.claimyr.com
0 coins
Brooklyn Foley
•Sounds like paying someone to do what should be free. Couldn't you just keep calling the IRS yourself? It's like paying someone to stand in line for you at the DMV.
0 coins
Jay Lincoln
•I tried calling on February 4th, February 8th, and February 15th before using Claimyr on February 17th. Each time I called directly, I couldn't get through after 2+ hours on hold. With Claimyr I was speaking to a real person in 23 minutes. For time-sensitive tax issues, especially with filing season delays, it's absolutely worth considering.
0 coins
Jessica Suarez
FWIW I filed Jan 18 w/ EITC and never got a PATH msg either. My WMR just said processing for like 6 wks straight. Then suddenly updated to approved last Thurs and got my DD yesterday. No msg doesn't mean anything bad - sometimes their system just skips that step. Hang in there!
0 coins
Marcus Williams
Did you claim any other credits besides EITC? I'm wondering if having multiple credits changes how the PATH Act message appears.
0 coins
Lily Young
•I believe it might, actually. I claimed both EITC and Additional Child Tax Credit last year, and I received a somewhat different PATH message than what was typically described online. It seems the system may generate different notifications depending on your specific combination of credits, though the IRS doesn't officially confirm this.
0 coins
Kennedy Morrison
I work at a tax preparation office, and I've noticed this pattern with early filers this year. About 30% of our clients who filed before January 20th with EITC didn't get the PATH message but still had the expected delay. One interesting case: a client filed January 17th with identical circumstances to someone who filed January 25th. The later filer got the PATH message, the earlier one didn't, but they received their refunds on the exact same day in February. The messaging system seems inconsistent, but the actual processing follows the same timeline regardless.
0 coins