PATH Act Delays: When Will My EITC Refund Arrive After IRS Shows "Received" But Not "Approved"?

I'm checking my refund status and got this message about the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act. When I check my status, I see: Return Refund Refund Sent Received ✓ Approved ? ? ? The IRS website specifically says that because I claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, they "cannot issue the refund before mid-February" and this "applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with these credits." The message I'm seeing states: "The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act says that if you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit, the IRS cannot issue the refund before mid-February. This applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with these credits." The system is showing me Tax Topic 152 for Refund Information, and tells me I can check my refund status on "Where's My Refund" starting in "mid- to late February." They say the website updates once a day and is "the best way to check the status of your refund." Under "Helpful Information" it says "Please read the following information related to your tax situation: Tax Topic 152, Refund Information" And there's a "Please Note" section that says "For refund information, please continue to here" on sa.www4.irs.gov. Is this normal? This is my first time seeing this kind of message, and I'm getting kind of worried about when I'll actually see my money. Right now my refund status is showing question marks for Approved and Refund Sent, with only Received being confirmed. I filed early hoping to get my refund quickly, but now I'm stuck waiting with no clear timeline.

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14 comments

JaylinCharles

•10M

The IRS system is showing the standard three-stage refund status display with only "Received" marked and question marks for both "Approved" and "Refund Sent" stages. This is typical for early tax season filing when EITC is claimed. The PATH Act message you're seeing is the IRS's mandatory hold notification. The key points from the screen confirm that: - Your return is subject to the special EITC processing timeframe - The entire refund (not just the EITC portion) is held until mid-February - You're seeing Tax Topic 152, which is the standard reference for refund information The presence of Tax Topic 152 is actually a positive sign - it indicates your return is being processed normally and just needs to clear the mandatory PATH Act waiting period. The IRS updates the "Where's My Refund" tool daily, so you should start seeing your status bars move from question marks to completion starting mid-February. This waiting period is built into the IRS processing system specifically for returns claiming EITC, so everything you're seeing indicates normal processing under PATH Act requirements. No need to worry about the question marks - they're exactly what you should see at this stage.

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