Here's what's actually happening with your early deposit: 1. The IRS assigned you a Direct Deposit Date of 2/26 2. They initiated the ACH transfer approximately 1-3 business days before that date 3. Your bank (Chime) received the pending deposit notification 4. Instead of waiting for the funds to fully clear, Chime fronted you the money This isn't actually your refund arriving early - it's your bank advancing you the funds based on the pending notification. Traditional banks will show the deposit on 2/26 because they wait for the actual settlement date. Some credit unions might show it a day early depending on their policies.

Have you noticed how the IRS seems to release refunds in batches by filing date? I filed on January 29th and got my DDD for 2/19, received via Chime on 2/17. My brother filed February 1st and got his DDD for 2/26 - same batch as you. Seems like they're processing weekly batches for straightforward returns. Did anyone who filed in early February get a different DDD than 2/26? Or is the pattern holding?

I waited 9 weeks last year, and when I finally got through to the IRS, they just told me it was "in process" and to keep waiting. This year I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an agent after waiting 5 weeks. Got connected in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening and when to expect my refund. Worth every penny to not sit on hold for 3+ hours.

Have you checked your account transcript on the IRS website? Sometimes that will show pending refund info even when WMR doesn't update. Look for an 846 code with a date - that's your refund date.

Topic 152 is just a general refund information topic - not bad at all. But if you're really concerned and want definitive answers, calling the IRS directly is your best bet. I spent 3 hours on hold last week before hanging up, then tried https://Claimyr.com and got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They confirmed my return was just in normal processing despite my bars disappearing. Totally worth it for the peace of mind.

The PATH Act delays refunds with certain credits until at least February 15th, and that's just when they START releasing them. With the CTC you mentioned, your return is likely just in the verification queue. Most people with disappeared bars and Topic 152 get their refunds within 7-14 days after that happens.

I remember last year when I used H&R Block, they had a similar verification process that confused me. From what I've gathered from tax forums, these extra verification steps are actually beneficial - they're checking for common errors that trigger IRS reviews. In my previous experience, the returns that went through these extra checks actually processed faster because they had fewer issues when they reached the IRS. Have you tried checking your tax transcript directly from the IRS website? That might give you more insight than WMR.

According to the TurboTax support forum at https://ttlc.intuit.com/, this is a known issue with the 2024 software. It's related to their enhanced error-checking algorithm. The forum suggests this happens most often with returns claiming certain credits or with self-employment income. It doesn't cause delays by itself, but it might be flagging something in your return that could cause a delay. Check out the IRS processing issues page at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations for current known processing delays.

I had the same issue and finally got through to the IRS after using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). Waited on hold for over 3 hours the traditional way with no luck, but Claimyr got me connected to an agent in about 25 minutes. The agent told me there was a small verification flag on my account that was causing the delay, but nothing serious. They cleared it while I was on the phone and my refund was processed within a week. Worth every penny not to waste days trying to get through.

Just wanted to say I filed 2/14 and just got my refund yesterday. Had the same code 152 the whole time. Sometimes it just takes forever with no explanation. Hang in there!