Everyone's talking about the tax benefits, but don't forget about stimulus checks or recovery rebates! If there's another round of those in 2025 for the 2024 tax year (you never know!), having extra dependents could mean more stimulus money. During the last rounds, it was an extra $1400-$1600 per dependent. This is separate from the regular tax benefits and something to consider if you legitimately qualify to claim them. Just make sure you're eligible first - as others said, the living situation makes this complicated.

The key thing everyone's missing here is that your mom not filing taxes doesn't automatically make you eligible to claim your brothers. The IRS looks at who actually has the right to claim them based on the dependency tests, not who chooses to file. Since your brothers don't live with you, you'd need to meet the "qualifying relative" test, which means providing more than 50% of their total support AND they can't be claimed by anyone else who has a stronger claim (like your mom). Even if your mom doesn't file, she still technically has the stronger claim as their parent and primary caregiver. Your $800-1000 monthly support might be substantial, but you'd need to prove it covers more than half of ALL their expenses - housing, food, medical, clothing, education, etc. The IRS will want detailed records showing exactly what your money paid for. My advice: before doing anything, calculate the total cost of supporting your brothers for the year (including the value of housing your mom provides) and see if your contributions truly exceed 50%. If not, you don't qualify regardless of whether your mom files. If yes, get Form 8332 signed by your mom and keep meticulous records of every expense your money covers. Given the audit risk mentioned by others, this might be a situation where paying a tax professional for guidance upfront is worth it to avoid potential penalties later.

Has anyone tried calling the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service? My refund was stuck for 6 weeks last year and they were able to help when regular IRS phone lines couldn't.

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed through TurboTax about 3 weeks ago, got the acceptance confirmation immediately, but "Where's My Refund" has been stuck on "Return Received" ever since. This is so frustrating because I also need the money for urgent expenses (in my case, medical bills that are past due). Thanks to everyone who shared the tips about tax transcripts and those services - I'm definitely going to try requesting a transcript first to see if there are any codes that explain the delay. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this, but also concerning that the IRS seems to be so backed up this year. Has anyone heard if there's been any official statement from the IRS about longer processing times this filing season?

Did you file electronically or by mail? Makes a huge difference in processing time rn

Oof this sounds super frustrating! The fact that you have a refund freeze code 810 but it says "no return filed" is definitely weird. Code 810 usually means they're holding your refund for review, but if there's no return on file, that doesn't make sense. I'd suggest calling the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 and asking them to explain the disconnect between the transcript showing no return but having transaction codes. Also might be worth checking if your SSN or other info got mixed up somehow during filing. Keep all those papers they sent you - you'll probably need them when you call!

Has anyone noticed the tracker works better if you check it only once per day? When I was checking multiple times a day it never updated, but when I forced myself to only look in the mornings, I started seeing movement. Maybe just coincidence but worth a try if you're stuck!

I filed around the same time as you (March 1st) and I'm in the exact same situation - still showing "received" on WMR and getting more anxious each day. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one! One thing that's helped my peace of mind is remembering that the IRS processes millions of returns and they don't all move through the system at the same speed, even simple ones. I've been trying to only check WMR once a day in the morning like someone mentioned below, and I'm focusing on the fact that we're still well within that 21-day window. Hang in there - from what I'm reading in this thread, it sounds like many people's refunds are showing up without much warning once they finally process. Fingers crossed we both see movement soon!

I'm in the same boat! Filed Feb 8th, got the acceptance right away, but still waiting. Called IRS after 4 weeks and they said I'm under a "random review" whatever that means. They told me it could take up to 120 days!!! Has anyone ever been through a random review?

I'm in a similar situation - filed 4 weeks ago through H&R Block and still showing "processing" with a decent refund expected ($1,800). Like others mentioned, I also claimed EIC for the first time this year which seems to be the common thread for delays. What's been helpful for me is setting a realistic expectation. After reading through all these experiences, it sounds like EIC claims routinely take 6-8 weeks, not the standard 21 days. I've stopped checking the "Where's My Refund" tool daily since it just increases my anxiety. One thing that gave me some peace of mind was calling my tax preparer. They confirmed that delays for EIC claims are totally normal this year and that as long as you're not getting error messages or letters from the IRS, your refund is just in the extended review queue. Hang in there - sounds like most people eventually get their refunds, it just takes longer than we'd like!