When exactly do IRS transcript updates happen for cycle code 0805? Thursday or Friday confusion
I've been checking my transcript almost every day since I filed back in April. I have cycle code 0805 which apparently is supposed to update weekly, but I'm getting conflicting info. Some websites say cycle 0805 updates every Thursday, others claim it's on Fridays. Can anyone actually confirm when the 0805 cycle updates? I've wasted so much time checking both days and sometimes it seems like nothing changes either day. Getting pretty frustrated with the whole process.
44 comments


Chloe Zhang
Tax transcript cycle codes are often misunderstood. The 0805 cycle code means your account is in the weekly processing batch that completes processing on Thursdays. However, the actual transcript update usually appears on Friday mornings (typically between 3am-6am EST) when the IRS systems refresh with the previous day's completed processing. So technically, both answers have merit - processing is completed Thursday, but you'll usually see those updates reflected on Friday morning. That's why you're seeing conflicting information. If you have cycle code 0805, I recommend checking Friday mornings for the most up-to-date information. The last two digits (05) indicate the day of the week when processing completes (day 5 = Thursday), and the first two digits (08) indicate the week within the IRS processing calendar.
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Sophia Carter
•Thanks so much for explaining! I've been losing my mind checking constantly. So tomorrow morning would be the best time for me to look?
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Chloe Zhang
•Yep, Friday morning would be your best bet. But sometimes the update time varies a bit, so if you don't see changes early morning, try again around noon.
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Brandon Parker
•This is actually super helpful. I'm cycle 0805 too and was checking at random times all week like a crazy person 😵💫
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Adriana Cohn
•One thing to add - the Where's My Refund tool doesn't always update at the same time as transcripts. Sometimes it lags a day or two behind.
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Jace Caspullo
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Melody Miles
•Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•does it cost money? seems too good to be true honestly
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Jace Caspullo
•It's absolutely worth every penny! I spent weeks trying to decode all this stuff on my own before finding it. The peace of mind alone was worth it - finally understanding what was actually happening with my return instead of guessing and panicking.
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Eva St. Cyr
After weeks of trying to reach the IRS (busy signals, disconnects, hours on hold), I finally got through using Claimyr.com and it was such a relief. Had an actual IRS agent on the phone within an hour who explained my 0805 cycle code and confirmed Friday morning is when I should see updates. Talking to a real person saved me so much stress!
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Kristian Bishop
•Wait what is this? Another app that claims to help with IRS? Does it actually work?
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Eva St. Cyr
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Kaitlyn Otto
•sounds scammy tbh. how do they get priority in the queue?
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Axel Far
•They don't get priority. They just have a system that keeps dialing and navigating the phone tree automatically until they get through. Then they connect you. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Eva St. Cyr
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Jasmine Hernandez
I'm cycle code 0805 too and I've noticed my transcript usually updates overnight Thursday into Friday. So I check first thing Friday morning (like 6am EST) and that's when I see any changes. Been tracking this pattern for months now.
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Luis Johnson
The cycles are silly and confusing, I swear the IRS makes this complicated on purpose. 0805 should update Friday mornings. But sometimes it doesn't update at all even when it's supposed to. The whole system is a mess.
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Ellie Kim
•For real, I'm convinced they intentionally make it hard to understand so we give up trying 🤡
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Fiona Sand
•It's almost like they don't want us to know what's happening with our own money 🙄
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Mohammad Khaled
FWIW I have cycle code 0805 from my amended return last yr and it definetly updated on Friday mornings. Usually between 3-6am EST. But sometimes not til later in the day.
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Sophia Carter
•Good to know, thanks! I'll check first thing tomorrow morning then.
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Alina Rosenthal
I disagree with most answers here. I've been tracking my 0805 updates for 3 months and mine always update Thursday nights around 10pm Pacific time. So that's technically Friday on the east coast I guess. But either way, you're looking at late Thursday/early Friday depending on your time zone.
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Finnegan Gunn
The first 2 digits of cycle code (08) = the week of the fiscal year. The last 2 digits (05) = the day of the week (Thursday is the 5th day in IRS world). So processing happens Thursday but system updates overnight. That's why some people say Thursday and others say Friday - their both kinda right.
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Miguel Harvey
•Wait the IRS fiscal year starts in October right? So we're in like week 40-something now?
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Finnegan Gunn
•Yep, IRS fiscal year starts Oct 1. So right now we'd be around week 43-44 depending on exact date. But for cycle codes they use their own weird internal calendar system starting with 01 at the beginning of each calendar year. It's unnecessarily complicated 🤦♂️
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Ashley Simian
just to add to the confusion, i have cycle 0805 and sometimes i dont see updates for weeks then suddenly there's movement. don't assume something will change every week just bc you have weekly cycle code.
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Oliver Cheng
•THIS!!! Just because you're on weekly cycle doesn't mean there will be weekly changes. It just means IF there are updates, they'll happen on that schedule.
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Taylor To
Here's what the cycle code actually means: 0805 = 08 (the week of the year in the IRS calendar) + 05 (the weekday) FYI, in IRS land: Day 1 = Sunday Day 2 = Monday Day 3 = Tuesday Day 4 = Wednesday Day 5 = Thursday Day 6 = Friday Day 7 = Saturday So day 5 (Thursday) is when processing happens, but the transcript database itself updates overnight Thursday into Friday. That's why you see both answers.
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Ella Cofer
I work for a tax firm. The confusion comes from people mixing up processing dates vs update visibility. Daily cycles (ending in 01-04) process Mon-Thurs but weekly cycles (ending in 05) all process Thursday night. Updates are visible next day.
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Sophia Carter
•Ah, that explains the confusion! So for me with 0805, I should expect to see any changes on Friday, but the actual processing happens Thursday night?
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Ella Cofer
•You got it! 👍
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Kevin Bell
Don't waste your time checking constantly. I literally drove myself crazy all of May doing that. Use taxr.ai - it'll alert you when your transcript changes. way better than constantly refreshing the IRS site.
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Savannah Glover
•Second this! I was literally checking multiple times a day like a crazy person until I found taxr. Such a time saver.
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Felix Grigori
Just FYI - it's generally Thursday night/Friday morning but sometimes the IRS systems have delays. I've seen updates not show up until Friday afternoon or even Saturday morning during peak tax season when their systems are overloaded.
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Felicity Bud
I had to wait 9 months for my refund last year (identity verification issue) and drove myself CRAZY checking these stupid transcripts. After using Claimyr.com to finally talk to someone, they explained that cycle codes are just internal processing batches. For 0805, they run your account Thursday night but you see results Friday.
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Max Reyes
here's the real answer - IRS processes accounts in batches. Daily cycles (01-04) and weekly (05). The 05 means Thursday processing, but the computer systems update overnight. So technically both answers are correct depending on if you're talking about processing (Thursday) or visibility (Friday).
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Mikayla Davison
I'm in the Thursday-Friday overnight camp. but honestly my experience has been really inconsistent. sometimes I've seen updates at like 3am friday, other times not until noon. The IRS isn't exactly known for being efficient or consistent lol 🤷♀️
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Avery Davis
I've been dealing with cycle code 0805 for months now and can confirm what most people are saying here - Friday morning is your best bet, usually between 3-6am EST. But here's what I learned the hard way: don't expect updates every single week just because you have a weekly cycle code. Sometimes nothing changes for 2-3 weeks, then suddenly there's movement. The weekly cycle just means IF there are updates, they'll appear on that schedule. Save yourself the stress and only check Friday mornings instead of obsessing over it daily like I did. Also, the Where's My Refund tool often lags behind the actual transcript updates, so if you see changes on your transcript Friday morning, don't panic if WMR doesn't reflect it until Monday or Tuesday.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
This is exactly the kind of detailed breakdown I needed! I've been in the same boat checking my transcript obsessively since filing in April with cycle code 0805. The confusion between Thursday processing vs Friday visibility makes so much sense now. I was literally setting alarms to check at different times thinking I was missing something. Going to stick to Friday morning checks from now on and stop driving myself crazy. Thanks everyone for clarifying this - wish the IRS would just explain their own system clearly instead of leaving us all to figure it out through trial and error!
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Cass Green
•I totally feel your pain! I'm new to all this tax transcript stuff and was doing the exact same thing - checking at random times throughout the week and getting more frustrated each time nothing changed. This whole thread has been a lifesaver for understanding the 0805 cycle. It's crazy how the IRS doesn't just put this information somewhere obvious instead of making us all become amateur detectives trying to decode their system. Definitely going to follow everyone's advice and stick to Friday morning checks only. My sanity will thank me! 😅
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Naila Gordon
This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also cycle code 0805 and have been checking my transcript randomly throughout the week like a maniac. The explanation about Thursday processing vs Friday visibility finally makes sense of all the conflicting info I've been seeing online. I was starting to think the IRS website was just broken or something. Definitely going to switch to only checking Friday mornings and save myself the daily stress. It's ridiculous that we have to crowdsource this information instead of the IRS just clearly explaining their own system somewhere. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is honestly more helpful than any official IRS resource I've found!
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Amun-Ra Azra
•Absolutely agree! This community has been way more helpful than anything on the actual IRS website. I'm also cycle 0805 and have been doing the exact same obsessive checking routine. Reading through everyone's experiences here finally gave me peace of mind about when to actually look for updates. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to piece together this information from each other instead of having clear official guidance. The IRS really needs to step up their communication game - we shouldn't need to become experts in decoding their internal systems just to understand what's happening with our own tax returns! 🤦♀️
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Peyton Clarke
As someone who just went through this exact same frustration with cycle code 0805, I can totally relate to the confusion! I was checking my transcript at all hours of the day thinking I was missing updates. What finally helped me was understanding that the IRS processes in batches - your 0805 code means Thursday night processing, but the transcript database refreshes overnight, so you'll see any changes Friday morning (usually between 3-6am EST). The key thing that saved my sanity was realizing that weekly cycle doesn't mean weekly updates - it just means IF there are changes, they'll show up on that schedule. I went weeks with no changes, then suddenly had movement. Now I only check Friday mornings and it's so much less stressful. Don't drive yourself crazy like I did - stick to one day a week and trust the process!
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