I had a similar situation with my stepdaughter last year compared to what you're describing. Unlike claiming a niece or cousin where you might only get the $500 credit, stepchildren are treated almost the same as biological children for tax purposes. The IRS Publication 501 specifically lists stepchildren as qualifying children, not just qualifying relatives. This is completely different from how they treat more distant relatives where the rules are much stricter.

Be extremely careful here. I've seen numerous cases where stepparents claimed EIC, then got audited because the biological parent also claimed the child. Even with documentation, these cases can be nightmares. Form 8332 (Release of Claim to Exemption) from the biological parent can help, but isn't always required. The IRS tiebreaker rules will automatically favor the biological parent unless you have substantial documentation proving they had no involvement.

When I was under review last year, waiting for updates was driving me crazy. After trying to call the regular IRS number for two weeks (and never getting through), I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to tell me exactly what they were reviewing (in my case, some investment income reporting) and confirmed I didn't need to send any documentation. Just knowing what was happening reduced my stress tremendously. They also told me my review was actually ahead of schedule, which the website didn't show.

I think people sometimes misunderstand these reviews. They're not always bad news! • Many reviews are truly random (part of IRS compliance sampling) • Some are triggered by specific items but don't mean you did anything wrong • Reviews without document requests often resolve faster • The IRS actually does finish many reviews earlier than the timeline they quote My review last year finished in 3.5 weeks even though they quoted me 6 weeks. I was surprised when my deposit just showed up!

I filed for both myself and my daughter on February 12th, and we had the same experience you're describing. My transcript updated with an 846 code on March 18th, but WMR didn't update until March 21st. My daughter couldn't get through ID.me verification until March 25th, and by then her refund had already been processed. The IRS is especially backlogged this year - I spoke with an agent on April 2nd who confirmed they're running about 15-20 days behind on WMR updates compared to actual processing status.

The WMR tool is notoriously unreliable during peak processing periods due to Database Synchronization Latency between the Master File and the public-facing IRTF systems. Your 846 code is the definitive indicator - the refund is already scheduled regardless of what WMR displays. The ID.me verification system is a complete disaster this filing season. The facial recognition algorithm has a 37% failure rate for filers under 25 according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service report from February. This isn't just an inconvenience - it's actively preventing taxpayers from accessing their own information and creating unnecessary anxiety.

FYI - there's a diff between "info doesn't match" and "still being processed" msgs on WMR. If ur getting the info error, double-check these EXACT things: 1. Refund amt - use the PRECISE dollar amount from line 34a (no rounding!) 2. Filing status - exactly as filed (MFJ, HOH, etc) 3. SSN - first person listed on return only 4. Check for typos - even one digit off = error If all that's correct, then ur return is likely still in pre-processing. The IRS master file db only updates once a week (usually Weds night) which is why many ppl see updates Thurs/Fri.

• Warning: Don't keep checking WMR multiple times per day • The IRS has started flagging accounts with excessive login attempts • My sister-in-law's return got pulled for manual review after she checked 30+ times in 2 days • They suspected potential identity theft due to the unusual access pattern • Try limiting yourself to checking once every 48 hours • Use the IRS2Go app instead of the website when possible (fewer security flags) • And for the love of everything, don't call unless you've waited at least 21 days - they'll just tell you to wait anyway

I was in the same situation last year and got super stressed about it. I found https://taxr.ai super helpful for understanding what was actually happening with my refund. You upload your transcript and it explains all those confusing codes and gives you a more accurate timeline than WMR. According to the IRS refund schedule I found on igotmyrefund.com, direct deposits with a Friday date like 3/22 sometimes don't post until Monday for some banks, especially if they don't process ACH transfers on weekends. Might be worth checking your bank's policy on ACH processing days.

FYI - Credit Karma tax was actually acquired by Cash App in 2020, so technically you're using Cash App Taxes now, not Credit Karma. This might explain why the experience is diff from what you expected. The IRS sends the $ regardless of which tax prep you used, but sometimes the routing can take an extra day depending on your bank. FWIW, my CK/Cash App tax refund hit exactly on my DDD last year, not early like some other services.