Still waiting for my 2024 tax return - where's my refund?

The IRS typically processes most refunds within 21 days, but returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) often take longer. There's actually a law that prevents the IRS from issuing EITC refunds before mid-February, regardless of when you filed. Since you filed on February 9th and it's now March 8th, you're just passing the expected timeframe even for EITC returns. The "received" status means the IRS has your return but hasn't finished processing it yet. This isn't necessarily a reason to worry - especially since this is your first time filing. If the Where's My Refund tool isn't showing any error messages and just says "received," I'd recommend waiting another week before taking any action. If by mid-March there's still no update, you might want to contact the IRS directly to check if there's a specific issue with your return.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year - first time claiming EITC with my dependent and waiting FOREVER for my refund. I tried calling the IRS multiple times but never got through to anyone. Then I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out what was going on with my return. It basically analyzed my tax transcript and explained why my refund was delayed in plain English. Turns out there was a small discrepancy between what my employer reported and what I entered, which triggered an extra review. Once I understood the issue, I was able to follow up properly. Saved me so much stress wondering what was happening!

Ok I need to admit I was wrong in my comment above. I was super skeptical about taxr.ai but I decided to try it anyway because my refund has been stuck for 6 weeks now. Wow what a difference! The IRS website just kept saying "still processing" but taxr.ai showed me exactly why - there was an income verification hold that I needed to address. I never would've known what was happening otherwise. It showed me the exact dates everything happened on my account and when I should expect my refund if everything goes as planned. Totally worth checking out if you're still waiting.

If your refund is still stuck after checking taxr.ai, you might need to actually talk to someone at the IRS. I spent WEEKS trying to get through on the phone last year with no luck. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an IRS agent in like 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was honestly shocked because I had been trying for days on my own. The agent was able to see that there was a verification issue with my return that required additional documentation. Once I knew what the problem was, I could actually fix it instead of just waiting blindly.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. I was 100% convinced Claimyr was a scam, but my refund was stuck for 7 weeks and I was desperate. I tried it yesterday and I ACTUALLY got through to the IRS after trying for weeks on my own with no success. Turns out there was an issue with my address verification that was holding up my refund. The agent fixed it right on the call and told me to expect my refund in 2-3 weeks. I literally would never have known this without talking to a human. I've been checking the IRS website daily and it just said "still processing" with no explanation. Thought I'd share in case someone else is stuck like I was.

Have you checked your IRS transcript online? Sometimes that shows more detail than the Where's My Refund tool. You can access it by creating an account on IRS.gov if you don't already have one. The transcript might show specific codes that indicate what's happening with your return.

Since this is your first time filing, did you file by paper or electronically? Paper returns can take MONTHS to process. Also, the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) returns are held until at least February 15th by law, so they couldn't start processing yours until after that date even though you filed earlier.