Will the IRS processing date for my 2024 tax return change again this year?

The IRS does publish specific processing dates for certain forms and situations, but they sometimes adjust these dates based on their internal readiness. What specific forms are included in your return? Some forms like those for the Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, or certain business deductions often have delayed processing dates. If you received a rejection specifically mentioning they're not ready for your form combination, your best bet is to wait until after their announced processing date. You can check the IRS operational status page on their website for the most current information about processing delays. One thing to keep in mind - even though your return was rejected, you've still technically "filed on time" as long as you successfully submit before the April deadline. The rejection due to IRS processing dates won't count against you for timely filing purposes.

I went through almost the exact same situation last year with my education credits and premium tax credit forms. After three rejection notices, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much frustration. They have this feature that analyzes your specific form combination and tells you the actual processing window based on current IRS systems. The tool flagged exactly which forms were causing my delays and even provided the projected acceptance date that turned out to be spot on. It also gave me a notification when the IRS systems were updated to handle my specific form combination. Way better than just blindly resubmitting and getting rejected again and again.

Just wanted to update everyone - I tried the taxr.ai site that was mentioned after getting my second rejection, and it actually worked really well! The system identified that my Form 8863 was causing the delay and gave me an expected acceptance date of February 22nd. I was skeptical but waited until then to resubmit, and my return was accepted right away! It also notified me when the IRS system updated to handle my form. Saved me from checking obsessively and resubmitting multiple times just to get rejected again. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with these processing date issues.

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to ask about processing dates, I highly recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent literally HOURS on hold trying to get information about my rejected return last year, but Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - totally changed my experience dealing with the IRS. The agent I spoke with gave me the exact date my forms would be processed, which was information I couldn't find published anywhere online.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After another frustrating morning of getting disconnected from the IRS line THREE TIMES, I gave Claimyr a shot. Honestly shocked that it worked. Got a call back in about 30 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent confirmed that my education credit forms won't be processed until February 24th and there's nothing I can do to speed it up. At least now I know exactly when to resubmit instead of wasting time trying again and again. The service actually delivered exactly what it promised - connection to a real IRS person who could answer my specific questions.

Pro tip: If you're getting rejected for specific forms, you can still e-file the rest of your return now and then file an amended return later to add those forms once the IRS is ready to process them. That way you at least get most of your refund sooner. I did this last year when my education credits were causing a delay. Filed without them initially, got most of my refund within 2 weeks, then amended once the IRS systems were ready for the education forms. The amendment took longer to process, but at least I had most of my money right away.

Does anyone know if these IRS processing delays also affect state tax returns? I e-filed both federal and state together through FreeTaxUSA, and my state return was accepted but federal was rejected with the same "not ready to process" message.