IRS Transcript Shows Refund Issued Date March 13 (Code 846) But Nothing Received Yet - Help Understanding Multiple Dates and Codes
Can anyone help me understand my transcript? I'm seeing several codes and dates that are confusing me. I've attached a photo of my transcript and I'm trying to figure out what everything means. My transcript shows: ANY MINUS SIGN SHOWN BELOW SIGNIFIES A CREDIT AMOUNT ACCOUNT BALANCE: ACCRUED INTEREST: AS OF: Mar. 26, 2024 ACCRUED PENALTY: AS OF: Mar. 26, 2024 I filed as Head of Household with 3 exemptions. The transcript has all these notes like "a negative number is a credit (don't freak out)" and "not a refund" next to several entries. There's also a note saying "date - if you don't have a refund" and "this is not refund date yet this is your expected payoff amount". It shows my RETURN DUE DATE OR RETURN RECEIVED DATE (WHICHEVER IS LATER) as Apr. 15, 2024, and PROCESSING DATE as Mar. 25, 2024. For TRANSACTIONS, I see: CODE | EXPLANATION OF TRANSACTION | CYCLE | DATE | AMOUNT 150 | Tax return filed/tax Liability | 20241005 | 03-25-2024 | (some amount) 806 | W-2 or 1099 withholding | 04-15-2024 | 766 | Credit to your account | 04-15-2024 | 768 | Earned income credit EIC | 04-15-2024 | 846 | Refund issued | 03-13-2024 | I'm really confused about all these dates and what they mean. The transcript has notes about cycle codes updating on different days: - 01 daily transcripts update on Monday - 02 daily transcripts update on Tuesday - 03 daily transcripts update on Wednesday - 04 daily transcripts update on Thursday - 05 weekly transcripts update on Friday And there's a note saying "WMR always updates the day AFTER your transcripts." April 15, 2024 is marked as "Last day of tax season" for several of the credit codes. The transcript also says "NOT a refund date" for some entries and then has "refund date" next to code 846. I see the refund issued date of March 13, 2024, but I haven't received anything in my account yet. Can someone help me make sense of all this and explain when I should expect my refund?
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AstroAdventurer
Your transcript shows several important dates and codes that explain your tax return status. The key transaction code 846 indicates your refund was issued on March 13, 2024. This is your actual refund release date, and you should expect the funds within 5 business days of this date. The other dates and codes on your transcript tell different parts of your tax story: - Processing date (March 25, 2024) is when the IRS completed processing your return - Cycle code 20241005 indicates your transcript updates on Fridays (05) - April 15, 2024 dates are primarily administrative end-of-tax-season markers, not actual processing dates - Your Head of Household filing status with 3 exemptions is properly reflected The various credits (codes 766, 768) and withholdings (code 806) showing April 15, 2024 dates are standard - this is the tax season deadline and doesn't affect your refund timing. The "minus signs signify credit amounts" note is standard IRS accounting notation where negative numbers represent money owed to you. Your transcript updates are based on your cycle code (05 = Friday), and the Where's My Refund tool (WMR) will update the following day (Saturday). The "AS OF" dates for penalties and interest (March 25, 2024) are just administrative dates and don't impact your refund since you filed on time.
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Andre Dupont
•thank you! quick question - why does the processing date show after the refund date? that seems backwards 🤔
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AstroAdventurer
•Processing date is just when your return completed processing in the system. The refund can actually be approved and sent before that final processing date. Weird but normal!
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Zoe Papanikolaou
Instead of trying to decode these transcripts manually, you should try taxr.ai - its only $1 and it analyzes everything instantly. Saved me hours of googling and guessing. https://taxr.ai
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Jamal Wilson
•is this legit? seems too good to be true for $1
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•100% legit! It uses AI to read your transcript and explains everything in plain english. Shows exactly where your refund is in the process and when to expect it
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Jamal Wilson
•just tried it and OMG this is amazing! finally understand whats going on with my refund 🙌
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Mei Lin
lol welcome to the waiting game. I've been checking WMR every morning for weeks 😫
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Same boat fam. This years return is moving slower than my ex wife leaving the house 💀
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GalacticGuru
sounds like its coming soon! the 846 is what u want to see, thats the money code 💰
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Amara Nnamani
u should have it by now tbh... might wanna call your bank
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Carmen Lopez
•Called them this morning, nothing pending yet :
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Giovanni Mancini
check if ur bank info was entered correctly on the return. Had similar situation last year and turned out I typed one number wrong in my account number smh
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Carmen Lopez
•double checked and its all correct. guess ill just keep waiting
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StellarSurfer
Don't panic yet! March 13th was only about a week ago, and refunds can take up to 21 days to hit your account even after the 846 code shows. Banks sometimes hold deposits for a few extra days too, especially larger amounts. Since you've already confirmed your bank info is correct, I'd give it another week before getting worried. The IRS systems have been running slower this year with all the processing changes. Your transcript looks normal - that 846 code on 3/13 is definitely your refund being sent out. If nothing shows up by March 27th (2 weeks from issue date), then definitely call the IRS refund hotline at 1-800-829-1954. But honestly, I bet it'll show up in the next few days! 🤞
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