Stuck on 'Still Processing' with No Tax Topic for 2 Weeks - Normal or Problem?

I was stuck in "still processing" with no tax topic for almost 3 weeks this filing season. In my case, it suddenly updated to approved without ever showing a tax topic. From what I've seen, the absence of a tax topic doesn't necessarily indicate a problem - it could just mean your return is in the initial verification queue. Last year mine had a tax topic right away, but this year was completely different even though my tax situation hadn't changed. Have you checked your transcript yet? Sometimes that shows activity even when WMR doesn't update.

I think you might want to check if you have access to your tax transcript online... I was hesitant to suggest this because sometimes the system doesn't update properly, but it might show processing codes that the WMR tool doesn't display. If your transcript shows any 570 or 971 codes, that could indicate why your return is taking longer than expected.

If you're technically minded and want to really understand what's happening with your return, check out https://taxr.ai - it analyzes your transcript and explains exactly what each code means for your specific situation. I was skeptical at first, but it decoded my transcript and accurately predicted when my refund would arrive. It even explained why I was stuck in processing (turned out I had a minor math error that the IRS corrected automatically). Much better than guessing what all those codes mean.

I was in the exact same situation from February 15th to March 8th this year - stuck on "still processing" with no tax topic. My transcript finally updated on March 9th and I received my deposit on March 14th. The key date to watch for is the 21-day mark from acceptance. If you pass that date with no update, that's when you might want to take additional action. Based on current processing patterns, I'd expect you'll see movement by March 23rd if there are no issues with your return.

I remember experiencing this exact scenario last tax season. After waiting three weeks with no updates, I finally called the IRS using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They connected me to an agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The agent was able to see that my return was just in normal processing but had been flagged for a random review. Nothing was wrong, but that information saved me weeks of anxiety wondering if I'd made a mistake.

I'm seeing a pattern this year where returns without credits like EITC or CTC are still taking longer than usual. I'm so frustrated with how the IRS communicates! The "still processing" message could mean literally anything from "we haven't looked at it yet" to "there's a small issue we're fixing internally." Have you checked if your tax transcript is available yet? That's usually more informative than WMR.

Here's what's likely happening with your return based on the current processing patterns: 1. Returns first go through automated acceptance 2. Then they enter the main processing queue 3. Some returns are randomly selected for additional verification 4. Returns without tax topics are often in this verification queue 5. These verifications typically take 2-4 weeks to complete 6. Once verification is complete, most returns are approved within 48 hours 7. Direct deposits typically arrive 3-5 business days after approval The lack of a tax topic usually means your return is in a standard verification queue, not that there's a problem requiring your attention.