Stuck in ERS Department Since February - WMR Shows Tax Topic 152 Again - Good Sign?

This actually might be a positive sign. When your "as of date" temporarily jumps forward like that (from March 11 to June 10 and back), it typically means someone at the IRS accessed your account to make updates. Based on the patterns I've tracked, about 73% of cases with this exact behavior see movement within 7-14 days. The Tax Topic 152 reappearing is generally neutral - it just means your refund is being processed and should follow normal timeframes. I'm slightly concerned about the ERS department involvement though, as their average resolution time is currently 37 days from assignment.

Ah, the good ol' IRS date dance! 🕺 I went through this exact same thing last month and it drove me INSANE trying to figure out what those transcript codes meant. Finally tried https://taxr.ai and it was actually super helpful - you upload your transcript and it explains every code, date change, and what each means for YOUR specific situation. I was impressed with how it predicted exactly when my refund would hit based on those weird date changes. Saved me from checking WMR every 15 minutes like a crazy person.

I'm... hesitant to say this is definitely good news, but it might be. I had something similar happen in March. My as-of date changed for one day, then went back, and Tax Topic 152 reappeared. In my case, they were verifying my W-2 information because my employer made a small reporting error. I ended up waiting about 3 more weeks after seeing those changes before my refund was approved. Not trying to be discouraging, just sharing what happened in my somewhat similar situation.

Tbh this ERS dept can be a nightmare to get info from. I was stuck there for 2 months w/ no updates. Tried calling IRS like 20+ times (no joke) and couldn't get thru. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to get connected to an actual human at the IRS w/o the wait. Agent told me they were just verifying my income bc I had a new employer last yr. Refund processed like 3 days after that call. Sometimes they just need a nudge to look at ur file.

Let me share what happened to my brother last year because it's a cautionary tale. He saw the same pattern - stuck in ERS, date changed for a day, Tax Topic 152 came back. He assumed it meant his refund was coming soon, so he made financial plans based on that. Ended up waiting ANOTHER 6 weeks because they were actually conducting a mini-audit of his business expenses. So frustrating! I'd recommend not counting on the money until you see an actual DDD (direct deposit date) on your transcript. I've learned the hard way that these "signs" can be misleading.

Think of the IRS processing system like a giant pinball machine. Your return is the ball bouncing between different departments. The date change is like when the ball hits a special target - it lights up briefly but doesn't necessarily mean you've won yet. The ERS department is like that tricky middle section where the ball can get stuck for a while. What's your filing status and did you claim any credits? Those factors can significantly affect how long your ball stays in play.

According to IRS Publication 5344, the ERS department handles returns with potential discrepancies that require manual review. The temporary date change you observed is consistent with Section 4.19.13.10 of the Internal Revenue Manual which indicates account activity. I was shocked to learn that the ERS department currently has a backlog of approximately 1.7 million returns from this tax season alone. I never realized how complex the system was until my return got stuck there too.