@ Rachcanfield1 wrote:
So why is it still sitting there?
Is it because of Child Credits?
I am starting to get really worried. I saw online they aren’t going to be giving refunds til after the 23rd not 15th. Are you sure it’s 15th?
You may have seen the Feb. 22 date at the IRS website in reference to when the WMR tool status will change for many filers. That's not necessarily a release date. More about that below.
I didn't say that February 15 is when refunds would be sent out. I was saying that they cannot legally do it until then. That's why I said "by law." The date of February 15 is the date when it becomes legal for the IRS to do so if you have one of those credits. If you have EIC (earned income credit) or ACTC (Additional Child Tax Credit), then you are subject to the PATH Act that I mentioned in the comment above. This has been the case for the last 3 years and affects everyone with those particular credits.
Once it becomes legal for them to start issuing, then the returns still have to continue through their system, etc. until they give you a send date. By the time everything continues to go through their system and the receiving financial institution that has your account/card, the IRS has said that most filers with those credits won't actually see refunds in their accounts/cards until late February or early March.
The following is the latest statement I see on the IRS website:
"The IRS expects the first EITC/ACTC related refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or on debit cards by the first week of March, if they chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return."
When they use the term "by first week of March", that still gives some leeway if it arrives sooner than that. So it could still come in late February. But ultimately, there's no way to predict until you see a change in your info in the WMR status tool. You'll just have to continue monitoring that tool.
Be aware that the IRS has said that the information in that WMR or IRS2GO app may not update until after February 22, however. So that may be why you saw that date. So even if your refund is in the release pipeline soon after Feb. 15, you may not be able to see any change in the WMR tool until around Feb. 22. That's when it may update, and you may be able to better tell when you are going to receive the refund.
See this IRS page for more info:
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/refund-timing
