After you file

Status of 2021 Tax Return Refund Delay

I filed on Jan 30, 2022 and my return was accepted the next day Jan 31. I went to check the status using the IRS2GO app and received this message:

We apologize, but your return processing has been delayed beyond the normal timeframe. You can continue to check back here for the most up to date information regarding your refund. We understand your tax refund is very important and we are working to process your return as quickly as possible.

Please read the following information related to your tax situation:
Tax Topic 152, Refund Information

Please Note: For refund information, please continue to check here, or visit the Refunds page on IRS.gov. Updates to refund status are made no more than once a day.

Since then I have checked IRS2GO every day and it says the same thing. I started researching what Tax Topic 152 was which took me to info about refund timing and reasons it could be delayed. I checked the list and none of the reasons pertained to me so I checked Tax Topic 303 which was a whole list of errors that would cause delays. Again, none of the reasons pertained to me. I didn’t know what else to do so I got out the hard copy of my 2021 Tax Return and started dissecting it line by line. I finally found it on Line 30 of my 1040 Tax Form which referred to a Recovery Rebate Credit which I had never heard and knew absolutely nothing about. There was a $1400 credit entry that I didn’t remember making and it added $1400 to my refund amount. Still I had NO idea what this was or why it was delaying my refund so I Googled what a Recovery Rebate Credit was and I learned that if you enter an amount on Line 30 that you are telling the IRS that you DID NOT receive your last Economic Stimulus Payment in 2021 which is why they are adding it to your refund. I filed through Turbo Tax and I don’t recall being asked if I received it. They said I would have received Notice 1444-C to inform you how much Economic Impact $ you received. Well, I never received one of those because I went through a divorce and moved 2x since filing for 2020 and they send it to the last address you lived at when you filed last. So I imagine my ex husband got it and tossed it, I honestly don’t know. Then I saw a link where it said go here if you don’t have or never received the 1444-C Notice so I clicked on the link and was able to pull up any Notifications that the IRS sent me. To my surprise it said there weren’t any notifications ever sent to me at all. My next step was to call the 800# listed which not only was automated but basically only told me everything the website already did and that my refund was delayed. I was referred to another 800# if I wanted to talk to a Tax Specialist. So I called and got another automated system that in the end referred me back to IRS.gov, the IRS2GO app and the original 800# that had told me to call them in the 1st place. I never actually spoke to a real live person. I did find out that if this did happen to you DO NOT FILE AN AMENDED RETURN. They said that the IRS is already reviewing it so they will correct the error and send you a new corrected copy of your return in the mail for you to approve which I currently have not received. As of today Tuesday 3-8-22 it’s been 37 days snce I filed and I still have absolutely no idea when this will be resolved…  I hope this detailed account will help somebody else…