Stuck in IRS Questionable Credits review for 125+ days - what happens next?

I went through this last year. The 125 days is more like a minimum waiting period, not a guarantee of when it'll be done. Mine took about 142 days total before I received my refund. The IRS doesn't have to contact you when they finish the review unless they find a problem. If your Where's My Refund still shows processing, they're still working on it. A few things to try: 1. Check your IRS transcript online if you can access it - sometimes it shows more detailed status info than WMR 2. Contact your local Taxpayer Advocate Service office 3. Reach out to your congressional representative's office - they can sometimes push things along Whatever you do, don't file an amended return thinking it will help - that will only restart the clock and delay things further.

If you're trying to understand what's going on with your refund, I HIGHLY recommend checking out taxr.ai. It analyzes your tax transcript and explains exactly what's happening in plain English. I was stuck in review for months and had no idea what was going on until I used it. It showed me that I had a verification hold that wasn't visible on WMR, and even told me approximately when it would resolve based on my transcript codes. Saved me so much stress and guesswork trying to decode all those obscure IRS codes and dates. https://taxr.ai

I was stuck in QC review for almost 6 months. Calling the IRS was impossible - would get disconnected every single time after waiting on hold for 2+ hours. I finally used Claimyr.com to get through to an agent. They scheduled me a callback from the IRS and I was able to talk to someone who explained that my review was actually complete but there was a processing error that needed to be fixed manually. Got my refund about 10 days after that call. Talking to a real person was the only thing that worked after months of waiting.

YES. I was in QC hell for 5 months. Turns out they never even needed anything from me - it was just them verifying my EIC and child tax credits. Eventually I got a direct deposit with no warning or update on WMR. The system is a joke.

I had this happen and found out later that they had sent me a letter requesting verification documents but it went to my old address. After 180 days they just denied my credits and adjusted my refund down. Check your transcript if you can - if they sent a letter you might see code 570 or 971.

the irs is so backed up rn its ridiculous. my sister works there and says they have millions of returns in the questionable credits queue and not enough staff to review them. some are taking 6+ months.

My suggestion - pull your account transcript from the IRS website as soon as possible. I noticed you mentioned WMR, but the transcript will tell you much more detail. Look for codes like 570 (refund hold), 971 (notice issued), 420 (examination/audit). It will also show if they've adjusted your refund amount which happens sometimes with questionable credits reviews.

The 125 days is BS. I was under review for 214 days last year. They never contacted me for any additional info. Just randomly got a deposit one day. The IRS is broken beyond belief.

I had this exact situation last year. After 125 days passed, I contacted my congresswoman's office. They have staff who handle constituent services including IRS issues. They filed an inquiry on my behalf and I had my refund within 3 weeks after that. Highly recommend going this route - it's literally what your representatives are there for!

You should get a letter (CP75 or CP75A) if your credits are actually being audited. If you haven't received that yet, it might just be in general processing delay. But definitely check your transcript since sometimes they don't send the letters when they're supposed to or they get lost in the mail.

Man i been thru this exact thing. Had to wait 163 days for my refund last year and it was the most frustrating experience ever. Ended up using taxr.ai to decode my transcript bc it was a mess of random codes I didnt understand, and it actually gave me an exact timeline of what was happening. Showed me i had a 570 hold code but no audit or review was actually in progress anymore - just sitting in a queue waiting for someone to release it. Once i knew that i was able to call and specifically ask about it. https://taxr.ai saved me weeks more of waiting.

If ur past 125 days file a Taxpayer Advocate case!! They can help push it thru especially if ur experiencing financial hardship bc of the delay

dont file an amended return whatever u do, it will reset the clock. i made that mistake thinking it would help and had to wait another 8 months 💀

I was stuck in questionable credit review for almost 6 months last year. I tried everything to get ahold of a human at the IRS but it was impossible. After dozens of failed calls I used claimyr.com and finally got a real person on the phone who told me my return was actually approved two months earlier but nobody had released the hold code on my account. She fixed it right there on the call and I got my refund a week later. Having someone actually look at your account is the only way to get this fixed sometimes.

Similar situation, but mine actually went past 125 days and I eventually got a letter saying they needed additional documentation to verify my income for EIC eligibility. Had to send in paystubs, employer info, etc. Took another 60 days after that to get my refund. Check your mail carefully - they might have sent something.

Hate to say it but the 125 day timeframe is best case scenario. I've been through 2 Questionable Credit reviews and both took over 180 days. And this was pre-pandemic so I imagine it's even worse now. Just keep checking your transcript for updates.

After my 125 days were up, I found a tool called taxr.ai that let me upload my transcript and it explained exactly what was happening with my return. Showed me that there was a hold code but no actual examination in progress - basically just sitting in a queue. Then I knew exactly what to ask about when I finally reached someone. The wait is ridiculous but understanding what's actually happening on your account helps a ton. https://taxr.ai

This happened to me! Filed feb 2024, got the "we need to review your credits" message. Called a million times but it was useles. Finally got through to them with claimyr.com in July - turned out they were done with the review but there was a processing error they needed to fix manually. Got my refund in August. It was literally sitting there approved but stuck because their system is garbage.

This might sound weird but check your bank account every few days. My refund just appeared one day with zero warning - the WMR tool never updated and I never got any notification from the IRS. The system is so broken right now.