The IRS needs to make these notices clearer smh. Even my tax guy was confused by some of these EIP messages

I had the exact same message show up on my account last year! It's basically just the IRS's way of saying they created a record in their system to track the stimulus payments, but like others said, it doesn't mean you owe anything or that you definitely got a payment. The confusing part is that "This message does not mean that you qualified for the payment" line - it's just their legal disclaimer. What you really need to do is check your actual account transcript or look at your 2021 tax return to see if you received any EIP payments that year. The system message is more about their internal bookkeeping than your actual tax situation.

Is there a way to check if someone has filed a fraudulent return using my info? I'm worried because my mail was stolen last month and it contained some tax documents.

This is such important information, especially with how sophisticated these scams have become! I work in cybersecurity and see these attacks constantly evolving. One thing I'd add is to be extra cautious about "urgent" language in any tax-related communications. Legitimate IRS correspondence gives you time to respond and doesn't create artificial urgency with threats of immediate consequences. Another red flag is when scammers ask you to "verify" information they should already have. The real IRS already has your SSN, address, and filing history - they won't ask you to confirm these details via email or phone. For anyone who thinks they might have been targeted, I recommend checking your credit reports regularly during tax season. You can get free reports from annualcreditreport.com (the only official site for free credit reports). Look for any accounts or activities you don't recognize, as tax identity theft often leads to other forms of fraud.

I was in EXACTLY this situation with Woodforest on my Tax Year 2023 refund. The IRS Refund Status portal showed "sent" but nothing in my account. Called the specialized direct deposit verification line at the IRS (different from the general helpline) and they confirmed the ACH transfer had been successfully transmitted to Woodforest's routing number. When I provided this information to Woodforest's customer service, they "discovered" my deposit was in their verification queue. Magically appeared in my account 4 hours after that call. Sometimes you need to push both ends of the transaction to get results.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Filed on 2/28 with direct deposit to my local credit union, got the IRS email notification yesterday but still waiting for the funds to show up. Reading through all these responses is actually really reassuring - sounds like this timing gap between notification and deposit is pretty normal across different banks, not just Woodforest. The 24-48 hour window that several people mentioned seems to be the sweet spot. I was starting to worry I had made an error somewhere, but it looks like patience is key here. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is incredibly helpful for us newcomers to the tax filing process!

If you're really concerned, you might want to check your tax transcript rather than just WMR. Sometimes the transcript will show if there's any hold or issue that might delay your deposit. The transcript updates more frequently than WMR in my experience. You can access it through the IRS website with an ID.me account if you haven't already.

I'm in a similar situation with Netspend and a 3/15 DDD! Still anxiously waiting here. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like Netspend typically deposits 1-2 days early, but the timing can vary. Really helpful to see the actual experiences from @Jamal Edwards and @Fatima Al-Sayed who both got theirs a day early. I'm going to try to be patient and check again in the morning. Thanks for starting this thread - it's reassuring to know others are in the same boat and getting their deposits!

2 Has anyone actually gone through an audit with this kind of situation? I'm nervous about using Schedule C for what's not really a business transaction. Would the IRS flag this as suspicious?

I went through something very similar last year with a PayPal reimbursement for supplies I bought for a volunteer event. The advice about using Schedule C is spot on - even though it feels weird to file business forms for a one-time reimbursement, it's the proper way to handle it when you receive a 1099-K. One thing I'd add is to be very clear in the business description field on Schedule C. I wrote something like "One-time reimbursement for materials purchased" to make it obvious this wasn't an ongoing business activity. Also, keep digital copies of both your receipt and the PayPal transaction details - I scanned everything and saved it in a dedicated tax folder. The whole process was much less scary than I thought it would be. FreeTaxUSA walked me through the Schedule C steps pretty smoothly once I understood what I was doing. Just remember: report the 1099-K amount as income, then report the exact same amount as your material expense. Net result = $0 taxable income from this transaction.