Tax Topic 152: What the heck does this Refund Information message actually mean?

Tax Topic 152 isn't actually bad news! It's just a general reference code that means your return is being processed and your refund should be issued within the normal timeframe. The IRS uses these reference codes to point taxpayers to more information about specific topics. In this case, Tax Topic 152 simply means your return is in the normal processing queue and your refund should follow the standard timeline (usually 21 days for e-filed returns if there are no issues). It doesn't mean your return has been flagged for audit or that there's a problem with your filing.

After dealing with refund delays last year, I found this website https://taxr.ai that was super helpful for understanding what was going on with my refund status. The site analyzes all those cryptic IRS codes (including Tax Topic 152) and tells you exactly what's happening with your return and when you can expect your money. I was in the same boat as you, seeing that 152 message and freaking out. The tool explained what was actually happening with my return based on the specific combination of messages I was seeing and gave me a much clearer timeline than the IRS site.

Just wanted to follow up! I tried that taxr.ai site someone mentioned above, and it was actually super helpful. It explained that my Tax Topic 152 was normal but that I also had a specific processing code that meant my return needed an extra review because of the education credits I claimed. The analysis gave me a predicted date range for my refund that was about 10 days later than I expected, and sure enough, my refund showed up right in the middle of that range. Would've saved me a lot of anxiety if I'd known this from the beginning instead of checking the IRS site 5 times a day lol

If your "Where's My Refund" status has been stuck showing Tax Topic 152 for more than 21 days, you might want to call the IRS directly. But good luck actually getting through to a human! After trying for days, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c My refund had been stuck for over a month with that Tax Topic 152 message, and the agent was able to see there was a simple verification issue they needed to clear up. Got my refund about a week after that call.

Ok I need to eat my words. After another week of getting nowhere with the IRS phone line, I broke down and tried that Claimyr service. Not gonna lie, it actually worked exactly as advertised. Got a call back in about 25 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. Turns out my refund was delayed because they couldn't verify my income from a side gig, and the agent was able to fix it right there on the call. My Tax Topic 152 status updated to approved the next day, and my refund is scheduled for direct deposit next week. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong!

Here's what different "Where's My Refund" statuses actually mean: - Return Received: IRS has your return but hasn't started processing - Return Processing: They're checking your info (this is when you see Tax Topic 152) - Refund Approved: Processing complete, money is coming - Refund Sent: Money has been sent to your bank/mail Tax Topic 152 is normal during the "Return Processing" phase. If you're still in that phase after 21 days, then you might want to worry a little.

For the 2025 filing season, if anyone wants to avoid these issues in the future, file as early as possible! I filed the first week returns were accepted and had my refund in 8 days without ever seeing any weird codes. The longer you wait, the more backlogged the IRS gets, and the more likely you are to see delays even without any problems on your return.