What it means: Tax Return Status Changed with No Status Bars

How long does this verification process usually take? I claimed the Child Tax Credit and my bars disappeared last week. Getting a bit anxious since I was counting on that refund.

For standard verification processes, you're typically looking at an additional 2-3 weeks beyond the normal processing time. Child Tax Credit verification tends to be on the quicker end of that spectrum since it's a very common credit the IRS has established procedures for. If you filed electronically and chose direct deposit, you'll likely see movement within the next 10-14 days. The "Where's My Refund" tool sometimes updates overnight, so keep checking it every morning. Most importantly, unless you receive a specific notice requesting additional information, you don't need to do anything but wait.

Did it actually help you get your refund faster or just explained what was happening? Still waiting on mine after claiming solar panel credits and wondering if this could help.

How accurate was their prediction? I'm skeptical of any tool claiming to know IRS timelines since they seem so random, especially with these verification holds.

It didn't speed up the actual IRS process, but it saved me tons of stress by explaining exactly what was happening. The timeline prediction was surprisingly accurate - they said I'd likely see movement within 17-21 days and my refund was approved on day 19. Their analysis was really detailed - they looked at my specific credits claimed and showed similar cases with the same status change. Much more helpful than just seeing "still processing" on the IRS site and wondering what that means.

How does that even work? Does it just keep redialing until it gets through or something? The IRS phone lines are basically impossible to reach a human.

Sounds like a scam to me. No way anyone can magically get through the IRS phone system when millions of people can't. They probably just take your money and you still end up waiting anyway.

It uses some kind of call technology that navigates the phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they finally get a human on the line, you get a call connecting you directly to the agent. It's not magic - just smarter tech than repeatedly calling yourself. It's definitely not a scam. I was super skeptical too, but I was desperate after trying for three days to get through. They don't even charge unless they actually connect you to an agent, which they did for me in about 22 minutes when I'd spent hours not getting through on my own.

Thanks for sharing your timeline! That's encouraging to hear. Did you get any kind of notification when it was approved or did you just have to keep checking the IRS site?

I didn't get any notification when it was approved. I was just obsessively checking the Where's My Refund tool every morning and one day it suddenly showed approved. The refund actually hit my bank account about 36 hours after the status updated to approved. So definitely keep checking daily!

It can happen with state returns too but it varies by state. In my experience, state tax systems are even less transparent than the IRS about status changes. Which state are you dealing with?