Tax Topic 152 with Dependent Credits - Normal or Something Wrong?

Tax Topic 152 is completely normal when you have refundable credits. It simply means your return includes credits like the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Credit. This is standard IRS messaging and not an indication of any problems. The PATH Act requires the IRS to hold refunds that include these credits until at least February 15th each year to verify eligibility and prevent fraud. Processing typically takes 21 days from acceptance, but can be longer during peak season.

I was in the exact same situation on February 28th last year. Tax Topic 152 appeared and stayed for 24 days. When I called the regular IRS number on March 14th, I couldn't get through after 17 attempts. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) on March 15th and spoke to an agent in 35 minutes who confirmed my return was just going through normal processing with the extra verification for dependent credits. Refund hit my account on March 22nd, exactly as the agent predicted.

Can someone clarify if there's a difference between getting Topic 152 with dependents versus without? I've been claiming my son for years and always see this message, but is it showing up for the same reason for everyone? And does anyone know if international residents who are legal taxpayers get additional scrutiny on dependent claims? Just wondering if that might be causing any extra delays?

I checked the official IRS guidelines on this specific issue. According to Internal Revenue Manual 21.4.1.3 (Refund Inquiry), Tax Topic 152 is a general reference that appears on the Where's My Refund tool specifically for returns claiming refundable credits. For tax year 2023 (filing in 2024), the PATH Act provisions in IRC Section 6402(m) require additional verification for EITC and ACTC claims, which extends processing by approximately 2-3 weeks beyond the standard 21-day timeframe. In my case last year, I filed on February 3rd with 2 dependents, saw Topic 152 on February 5th, and received my refund on March 1st.

I've been through this rodeo many times with dependent credits. Last year was a nightmare trying to figure out what all the codes meant. My transcript had like 15 different codes and dates that made zero sense. I stumbled across https://taxr.ai which actually explained my transcript in plain English. It showed me that my dependent verification was complete and predicted my refund date within 2 days of when it actually arrived. For international taxpayers like you, it might be especially helpful since it explains the US-specific terminology.

Oh my god I was SO WORRIED about this exact thing last year!!! I have 2 kids and got that 152 message and literally cried thinking something was wrong with my return. But it turned out to be totally normal! The IRS is just extra careful with returns that have dependents because some people try to claim kids they shouldn't. Just hang in there, I know it's stressful when you're counting on that money (I definitely was too) but it will come through! 💕