For all the people
impatiently waiting
on tax refunds.

A grapevine for taxpayers,
by taxpayers.

Interact with people who have experiences or questions just like you.

All of your tax refund questions, answered.
What Other People Are Saying
49,356 comments

Where’s My Refund?

You have questions, we have answers.

key tax return and refund dates

When can you file your taxes?

You can submit your tax return before the IRS begins processing as early as the first week of the year with many tax preparation providers. You don’t need to wait until the IRS begins accepting tax returns but you must have the proper forms and paperwork. Some forms are not available until mid January. Tax returns filed before the IRS officially opens sit in a “queue” and are held until the IRS officially begins accepting tax returns.

Your tax return may be selected in a test batch. If you e-file early and it sits in queue, your return may be sent to the IRS early. This can result in early direct deposits depending on the payment provider you select. Our cycle chart will update with key dates including test batch dates.

When does the IRS accept tax returns?

The IRS usually opens around the third week of January each year. They announce the opening date early in January.

The IRS will begin accepting tax returns in 2025 on January 27th.

When is the IRS test batch?

If you file your tax return early, it may be sent to the IRS in a test batch before the IRS has officially opened for the year. It is usually a week before the date the IRS begins accepting tax returns. This has resulted in refunds in the past that can be posted by direct deposit as early as the day after tax season opens.

When will I get my tax refund?

Early filers whose returns are accepted in a test batch can anticipate a tax refund as early as the day after the IRS opens the January filing season if your return was in the test batch. The day that the IRS deposits refunds varies for regular returns but we notice trends based on the method you chose to file and select to direct deposit. You can use our tax refund calendar or refund cycle chart to help find out when you will get your tax refund.

Where is the IRS refund cycle chart?

The official tax refund cycle chart published by the IRS has been eliminated and replaced with IRS FAQ. Refund cycle charts are now published by independent websites and vary slightly.

A good reference to use is the When To Expect My Refund cycle chart that is published early each year by the College Investor.

tax refund grapevine

This is a user-to-user community of taxpayers. Share experiences and ask questions below in our Live Discussion. We have learned more about tax refunds than we ever wanted to know.

IRS Update Cycle

Use the IRS Update Cycle chart to find the days and times the WMR and transcript update.

Transcripts

This is what your IRS transcript can tell you about your tax refund.

Transaction Codes

Lookup the codes that you see on your tax return transcript and what they mean.

Daily vs. Weekly

Find out if you have a daily or weekly account with the IRS and what it means.

When are Updates?

The IRS has regular mass update cycles.

WHEN DOES WHERES MY REFUND (WMR) UPDATE?

Where’s My Refund can update any day of the week. But there are mass updates on Wednesday and Saturday when a lot of people see an update. Use our calendar to find out what day you can expect to see updates on Where’s My Refund.

WHEN DO transcripts update?

Transcripts can update any day of the week. But there are mass updates on Tuesday and Friday. Use our calendar to find out what day you can expect to see an update on your transcript.

talk to a human

It is often hard to reach someone at the IRS and you might want to talk to a person. It is hard to reach some tax preparation companies too. Use our guide to talk to a human at the IRS.

TAX TOPIC 152

Tax Topic 152 is the most common status when you check the status of your tax refund. It is nothing to worry about.

transcript codes

Transaction Codes (TC) sometimes called transcript codes consist of three digits and may appear on your IRS account transcript. Decipher the codes on your IRS transcripts.

reference codes

Most times the Wherer’s My Refund tool (WMR) will show Tax Topic 152. Other times you may see various error codes. These are called Reference Codes on the WMR.

Join the Conversation

What Others Are Saying

  1. Sheila_33
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-9
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Bluebird
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-17
    • Date Approved:
      Feb-16
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-16
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      04
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Feb-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-19
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Mary: Mary in the house with words of wisdom 🤣

    Reply
  2. NyBeauty
    • Tax Preparer:
      Turbo Tax
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-24
    • Fees:
      From Refund
    • Bank:
      GD
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-25
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • I Got My Refund!

    Thank goodness the site is working again! Afternoon everyone! Has anyone received their Nys Refund yet?

    Reply
  3. Mary

    @Honeybee82 Its what I always referred to as the “shit or get off the pot date”

    Reply
    3
  4. Sarah Dyer
    • Tax Preparer:
      TaxSlayer
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-20
    • Fees:
      From Refund
    • Bank:
      Capital one
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-21
    • Date Approved:
      Jan-31
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-5
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250505
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-19
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Tom Felton:nope right there with you. Very frustrating. I feel like previous years it was 9-10 days from acceptance that I got my DD. Now who knows

    Reply
    1
  5. Honeybee82
    • Tax Preparer:
      H&R Block
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-22
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Spruce
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-24
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250603
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Mar-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-24
    • I Got My Refund!

    @DebMom: yup, I’m hoping I’m in the batch that updates on my transcripts tomorrow and WMR on Saturday!

    Reply
    3
  6. Maricela

    @Honeybee82: I do have path message, Do you think we can get refund 2/23 i got accepted 1/20 this year transcripts updated all in fast

    Reply
  7. DebMom
    • Tax Preparer:
      Other
    • Date Filed:
      Feb-3
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Varo
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Feb-3
    • Date Approved:
      Feb-14
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-20
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250705
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-24
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-14
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Honeybee82: Saturday on WMR

    Reply
  8. Sheila_33
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-9
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Bluebird
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-17
    • Date Approved:
      Feb-16
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-16
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      04
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Feb-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-19
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Starr: I’m happy you called. Good luck, fingers crossed. :)

    Reply
  9. Walter DOG
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Netspend
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-19
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      05
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-20
    • I Got My Refund!

    @gfac22: file with your new address if you did a change of address I did that in 2021 and used my previous address and got audited because they match with change of address

    Reply
  10. G

    @Honeybee82: sure hope so!

    Reply
    1
  11. marcela

    @Honeybee82: if we have code 150 806 766 768 next is getting code 846 with ddd ? i have as of date 2/13.

    Reply
  12. justlikestealing
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-13
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      GO 2 Bank
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-16
    • Transcript:
      Blank
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Honeybee82: ahhh Thanks Honey Bee…..

    Reply
    1
  13. Tigerlili_1
    • Tax Preparer:
      Jackson Hewitt
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-25
    • Fees:
      In Advance
    • Bank:
      PenFed
    • Bars:
      3rd Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-25
    • Date Approved:
      Feb-16
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-22
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20240605
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-26
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-26
    • Identity Theft
    • I Got My Refund!

    @gfac22: The address you file with, is where they send all correspondence. IRS mail does NOT forward, so file eith your current address. It does not mean you will have to ID verify.

    Reply
  14. Starr

    @Sheila_33: hi Starr here ☺️….tonight I “SHOULD” update on transcripts hopefully. I’ll update you if I do, but I noticed on my 1040 that I had a miscalculation on my form 8812 . I was very nervous and wanted to ask you about it on here, but I see that you are very busy on here so I called the irs, and they said that if it’s wrong that will fix on there own and continue to process with no problem. I hope so!! So that made me feel a little better. So fingers crossed for all of us who is expecting and update tonight. 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

    Reply
    2
  15. Brit83

    Anyone is WI get their state refund yet?

    Reply
  16. Tom Felton

    @Sarah D: this is crazy. Glad I am not alone.

    Reply
  17. Honeybee82
    • Tax Preparer:
      H&R Block
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-22
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Spruce
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-24
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250603
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Mar-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-24
    • I Got My Refund!

    @justlikestealing: Hi! I saw your question to Sheila and figured I’d give some insight in case she’s busy 😊. The “as of” date will appear on your Account transcripts as soon as they update from N/A to the 2022 year. That date is a placeholder to remind the IRS that something has to be done with your refund….whether it’s processing it for deposit, or updating it with other codes if additional information/action is needed. I’m a weekly too, with N/A still showing on my transcripts…so I’m hoping we update tonight/tomorrow!

    Reply
    3
  18. CeepeeNc

    @Tom Felton: I’m in the same boat. Accepted 1/19 transcript not filled out just one bar on WMR.

    Reply
    3
  19. Sarah D

    @Tom Felton: same here. It’s been 2 weeks and nothing. I don’t get it.

    Reply
    2
  20. MoCarr2118
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-10
    • Fees:
      In Advance
    • Bank:
      Wells Fargo
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-17
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      05
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-10
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Tom Felton: I’m almost the same. Accepted the 19th but everything else is the same with my transcript and WMR. Well, WMR as of yesterday. I’m not sure if those can change daily.

    Reply
  21. Tom Felton

    I was accepted the 17, still one bar with topic 152, no returned filed on transcripts. What is taking so long? I am jelly people are getting their refunds so fast lol. And filed after me. I am not path. booo.

    Reply
    2
  22. gfac22

    Hello, I’m looking for a little guidance here. Within the last couple months I moved to a new address. I’m still in the same state and town, zip, everything. I have heard before of some people’s returns being flagged for identity verification due to having a new address. It makes me so nervous to have my return delayed. I’m wondering if I should file with my previous address or just file with my new one? Seems like a silly question, but I’m nervous. Thanks!

    Reply
  23. Jemmagene

    So for 2023 I filed my maine state on Jan 25 and got update to you refund will be processed on 2-1-23. Please allow 1 week for the money to be deposited in to your acct.
    Does anyone know how long it will take to be deposited ?

    Reply
  24. Deano

    @jemar707: Not a problem and Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  25. justlikestealing
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-13
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      GO 2 Bank
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-16
    • Transcript:
      Blank
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Shelia_33…. Hello My friend, Just a quick question about this ” as of date”. Where is that info located ? All my trans say is NA, I dont see any such as of date anywhere. I do however still have 1 Bar of WMR with the amount and being processed, I am a weekly so hoping to update tomorrow….Thanks

    Reply
  26. jemar707

    @Deano: fixed! thank you for the update and everyone’s patience

    Happy Refunding

    Reply
    1
  27. Deano

    @ProDriver: yeah I don’t know it’s been the 15th as far as I can remember where’s my refund usually updates on the 16th with deposit dates

    Reply
  28. Honeybee82
    • Tax Preparer:
      H&R Block
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-22
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Spruce
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-24
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250603
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Mar-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-24
    • I Got My Refund!

    @G: if you’re a weekly, I think a lot of us in that date range will update late tonight/tomorrow. I was accepted on the 25th and my transcripts still say N/A…and my WMR hasn’t changed from one bar, TT 152, and “being processed”. I have a feeling there’s going to be big update tonight.

    Reply
    7
  29. Deano

    Apparently somebody fixed it it’s working now all good tap on I got my refund and it pops up

    Reply
  30. Deano

    Has anyone else have trouble with the website if you tap I got my refund it says critical error on this website I got back in here where’s my refund attention admin just being a messenger

    Reply
  31. Mitty

    @chilax: I am not a pather and every year I get my return by the second week of February in my account. I do not have my new transcript yet and I guarantee at my refund will be there next Wednesday in my account. That’s why I’m saying transcript updates aren’t necessarily a sign that you’re gonna get your refund late. My 2022 transcript is not even up and I was accepted on January 28. My transcript usually appears, and then my refund hit my account within a week.

    Reply
  32. Mitty

    @Faira0416: I am not a panther and every year I get my return by the second week of February in my account. I do not have my new transcript yet and I guarantee at my refund will be there next Wednesday in my account. That’s why I’m saying transcript update aren’t necessarily a sign that you’re gonna get your refund late.

    Reply
  33. ProDriver

    Most ppl on here are saying PATH lifts on the 15th, but IRS shows 2/28 on their website. Is it somewhere in between or they just say that to give more time?

    Reply
    1
  34. Brittani
    • Tax Preparer:
      TaxAct
    • Date Filed:
      Feb-1
    • Fees:
      From Refund
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Sheila_33: I’ve never had to wait this long to be accepted. Wondering what’s up. Guess i’ll just wait it out.

    Reply
  35. Sarah Dyer
    • Tax Preparer:
      TaxSlayer
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-20
    • Fees:
      From Refund
    • Bank:
      Capital one
    • Bars:
      1st Bar
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-21
    • Date Approved:
      Jan-31
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-5
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      20250505
    • Cycle:
      Weekly
    • As of:
      Feb-19
    • I Got My Refund!

    I’m confused, filed 1/19 accepted 1/21 its been two weeks today. Just checked transcript, says a refund hasn’t been filed yet and everything is blank. Not a pather…has this happened to anyone else? Anyone know why it says return hasn’t been filed with it was accepted 2 weeks ago? Please help! TIA

    Reply
    5
  36. Sheila_33
    • Tax Preparer:
      FreeTaxUSA
    • Date Filed:
      Jan-9
    • Fees:
      Free
    • Bank:
      Bluebird
    • Bars:
      No Bars-PATH Act Message
    • Date Accepted:
      Jan-17
    • Date Approved:
      Feb-16
    • WMR Date:
      Feb-16
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • Cycle Code:
      04
    • Cycle:
      Daily
    • As of:
      Feb-10
    • Processing Date:
      Feb-19
    • I Got My Refund!

    @Brittani: Seems to be a few.

    Reply
    1
  37. Brittani
    • Tax Preparer:
      TaxAct
    • Date Filed:
      Feb-1
    • Fees:
      From Refund
    • Transcript:
      Online
    • I Got My Refund!

    Is anyone else taking a long time for IRS to accept their efile?

    Reply
    2
  38. G

    No updates! filed and accepted 1-27-2023, weekly, EIC, CTC

    Reply
    5
  39. ValtNC

    Anybody been having issues with Free Tax USA? Its not allowing me to e-file returns.

    Reply
    2
  40. ElizabethLaurel

    Hey does anyone knows what happens if the spelling of my address is off by one letter?

    Reply
    1