WMR Tool Down - 'Currently Unavailable' Error 428
Is anyone else getting this? We are sorry Where's My Refund is currently unavailable. Please try Where's My Refund again later. 428 Trying to check my biz return status and keep hitting this error since last night. Typical IRS tech probs or something bigger? TIA for any info!
14 comments
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Josef Tearle
This is happening to a lot of filers right now. The IRS Electronic Filing Systems undergo routine maintenance, especially during peak filing season. Error code 428 typically indicates a server-side issue with the WMR application gateway. Given we're approaching the April 15 deadline, their systems are experiencing higher than normal traffic loads. I'd recommend trying again during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening) when server load is reduced.
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Shelby Bauman
ā¢I've been seeing this same error for about three days now. Last year something similar happened around mid-March when everyone was filing. I waited about 48 hours and then suddenly everything was working again. Their systems just can't handle the volume sometimes.
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Quinn Herbert
ā¢Does this mean our returns aren't being processed at all? I'm counting on that money to pay some bills this month.
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Salim Nasir
According to IRS Publication 5084 on Technology System Requirements, temporary outages are expected during high-volume periods. I've been through this before. If you want to check your transcript instead of using WMR, try https://taxr.ai - it helped me understand my transcript when WMR was down last year. It explains all those confusing codes and gives you a much clearer picture of where your return actually stands in processing. Saved me hours of frustration trying to decipher IRS jargon.
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Hazel Garcia
ā¢Another app? Isn't this just reading the same info from the IRS site? How's it any different when WMR is down?
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Laila Fury
ā¢It's not the same as WMR - it analyzes your actual tax transcript which is a different system than WMR. In my case, WMR was showing nothing but my transcript had all the processing info. Compared to calling the IRS and waiting hours, it's much faster to check this way.
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Geoff Richards
I encountered this exact error on March 27th and again on March 29th. The pattern I've observed is that the WMR tool experiences downtime during their scheduled maintenance windows, which typically occur between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM ET on weekends. However, this recent extended outage suggests they may be implementing larger system updates. When I checked again on April 2nd at approximately 10:30 AM ET, the system was fully operational and my refund status had updated.
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Simon White
ā¢How long did it take after WMR came back online for your refund to actually hit your account? ā¢ Did your status change immediately? ā¢ Was the deposit date accurate?
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Hugo Kass
ā¢According to the IRS Operations Status page at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations, they sometimes take systems offline for updates without advance notice. The transcript system usually remains operational even when WMR is down, which is why many tax professionals prefer checking transcripts.
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Nasira Ibanez
ā¢Your timing observations are spot on! It's like trying to shop on Black Friday - you've got to know when the doors open. The IRS systems are like old plumbing in a historic building - they work, but not when everyone's trying to use the bathroom at once.
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Khalil Urso
I was getting so worried about this error too! Has anyone tried calling the IRS directly? I've been on hold for like 2 hours and still nothing... Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com/?irs=1) and it actually got me through to an agent in about 25 minutes? They confirmed it's just a system issue on their end and my return is still processing normally. Such a relief not to spend all day on hold! Isn't it crazy how hard it is just to talk to someone about our own tax returns?
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Myles Regis
Don't panic. Happens every year. IRS systems crash during peak filing. Saw this last year too. Error 428 is server overload. Not specific to your return. Just wait 24-48 hours. Keep trying different times of day. Early morning works best.
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Brian Downey
I tracked this issue over the last week (because what else would a tax nerd do for fun in April? š ). The pattern is interesting - WMR goes down around 11pm-2am EST almost every night for what seems like database updates. But this extended outage started Tuesday around 8pm and lasted until Wednesday afternoon. My business partner and I both got our refund status updates right after it came back online. It's like the IRS realized they were behind schedule and did a massive batch processing run!
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Jacinda Yu
This appears to be a systemic outage affecting the WMR application's frontend interface. The error code 428 (Precondition Required) indicates the server requires conditional validation before processing the request. This is distinct from standard maintenance windows, which typically display a planned outage message. The IRS API gateway is likely experiencing high traffic volume combined with possible backend database synchronization issues. Your return processing should continue unaffected despite the WMR tool's unavailability.
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