NY State Refund Stuck in Processing – 2/5 Batch

I filed my IT-201 electronically on 1/28/26. It was accepted on 2/5/26 but got stuck in processing due to the NY system issues with the inflation refund checks. A rep told me to expect the refund in 6 weeks (3/11/26). When I checked on 3/19/26, 8 days past that deadline, it still showed "processing" with no updates. Today (3/23/26), I called the NY Taxpayer Rights Advocate to find out what's going on. They told me a W-2 from one of my employers was received on 3/21/26—but no one from the tax dept ever told me this. I had no idea a document was missing.

The frustrating part: The NY Dept never sent me a letter, never told me what was missing, never reached out at all. I only found out by calling the advocate today. If I owed them money, they'd be contacting me constantly, but when they owe me? Nothing. I still don't know which employer's W-2 it was or if there are other missing documents.

The advocate told me to wait 30 days from 3/21 (around 4/21) and call back if there's no movement. My federal refund processed fine—this is purely a state issue.

If you're waiting on a NY refund: Call the Taxpayer Rights Advocate at (518) 530-4357 to find out what's actually happening with your file. Don't wait for them to contact you. They won't.