PA state tax refund stuck for 10 weeks with no updates on PATH - anyone else waiting?

Yes, a lot of people are experiencing delays with PA state tax refunds this year. The PATH system is notoriously slow with updates. If you received unemployment benefits, they're doing extra verification on many of those returns. The official website says to allow up to 12 weeks for processing, but it could take longer if there's an issue they need to resolve. Make sure you check if there are any letters in your PATH correspondence section that might explain any holds.

same here!!! filed in February still says processing. this is ridicolous!!! they take our money fast enough but take FOREVER to give refunds back. system is broken

I had the same issue last year and finally figured out how to get through to a human at the PA Department of Revenue. The phone system is completely overwhelmed right now because of tax season. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an agent without waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 Once I got through, they told me my return was flagged for manual review because of my unemployment compensation. They had to verify my UC income matched what was reported by the Department of Labor. After I talked to them, my refund was released within 10 days. Worth trying if you're desperate for answers!

This is a common issue in 2025, particularly for anyone who received unemployment benefits. The PA Department of Revenue is conducting additional verification on returns with UC income to prevent fraud. Here's what's happening: 1. Returns with UC income are often flagged for manual review 2. They verify your reported UC income against what the Dept of Labor & Industry reported 3. They check if you paid the correct tax on that UC income 4. This process takes 10-14 weeks currently due to high volume If you received UC benefits, make sure you included the 1099-G income on your PA-40. If there's a discrepancy between what you reported and what the state shows, that will delay your refund. Also, check that you didn't claim any deductions that aren't allowed for UC income in Pennsylvania. The official guidance is to wait 12 weeks before contacting them, but you're already at 10 weeks, so it's reasonable to try reaching them now.

I waited THIRTEEN WEEKS for my refund!!! Called 37 times before I finally got through. Found out there was an "income verification issue" with my UC benefits even though I reported everything correctly!!! The woman said they had a HUGE backlog this year because they're manually reviewing returns that had unemployment. Once I actually talked to someone, they released my refund within 3 days. KEEP CALLING!!!

My wife and I filed together and our refund was delayed almost 3 months. Turned out they were checking her unemployment benefits. Eventually came through though.

Update for everyone: I just checked the PA Department of Revenue website and they've posted a new alert about extended processing times for returns with unemployment compensation. They're now saying to allow up to 14 weeks for these returns to be processed due to additional verification steps. They've also added more staff to handle the backlog, so hopefully things will move faster soon.

UPDATE: Finally got some movement! I took the advice about calling right at 8:30am and actually got through after "only" a 35 minute wait. The agent confirmed my return was flagged for manual review because of my UC benefits. She said there was nothing wrong with my return - it's just part of their fraud prevention process. She put a note on my account to expedite the review. Just checked PATH and now it shows "Refund Approved" with a payment date for next week! Thanks everyone for your help and commiseration!

Congrats Vincent on finally getting through! Your success story gives me hope. I've been stuck at 11 weeks now with the same "processing" message. Filed in late January with UC income of about $8,200. Going to try the 8:30am calling strategy tomorrow morning. Did the agent give you any sense of how backed up they are right now? Also wondering if anyone knows - once they approve the refund, how long does it typically take for the direct deposit to hit your account?

I'm in the exact same boat! Filed in mid-January with UC income of about $5,800 and still stuck at "processing" after 12 weeks. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the UC income was causing these delays. I've been calling randomly throughout the day but now I'll try the 8:30am strategy. It's so frustrating that they don't just tell you upfront that returns with unemployment benefits take longer to process. The lack of transparency is worse than the actual wait time! Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this nightmare.