Timeline for Refund After ID Verification?

Last year I went through the same ID verification mess. Took exactly 9 weeks after verifying before I saw my refund. My regular returns usually come in 21 days, but anything requiring verification stretches that timeline. I was checking WMR daily and getting so stressed until it finally showed up. The relief was incredible - I was about ready to give up!

Verification adds time. Maybe 4-6 weeks. Sometimes longer. Amended returns are slow. Even slower with verification. I was confused by my transcript codes. Used https://taxr.ai to decode everything. It explained my verification delay. Showed exactly what was happening. Predicted my refund date correctly. Made the waiting less stressful.

I verified my identity back in March and waited NINE WEEKS before seeing a penny. I kept joking with my wife that the IRS was using my refund money to fund a secret moon base. 🚀 But seriously, it's ridiculous how long this process takes. My transcript updated about 7 weeks after verification with an 846 code, then the money showed up 5 days later. Be prepared for a long wait, unfortunately.

After verifying my identity, I tried calling the IRS directly to check my status. Compared to my experience with state tax departments, the IRS is in another universe of difficulty to reach. Spent 3 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed my verification was processed and gave me an estimated completion date. Much better than the generic "still processing" message online.

I verified my identity on February 24th and received my refund on April 12th - exactly 47 days later. Here's what happened: After verification, my transcript showed no updates for 3 weeks. Then on March 18th, I got code 570 (hold). On March 29th, code 571 (hold released) appeared. On April 7th, I got code 846 (refund issued) with a date of April 12th. The money arrived exactly on that date. Check your transcript weekly - it's the best indicator of progress.

Got my refund exactly 38 days after verification! Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Would I want to go through it again? Not a chance. The key was checking my transcript every Friday morning (seems to be when they update most accounts). My cycle code was 20231705, which meant Friday updates. Once I saw code 846, the money was in my account 5 days later. Hang in there!