Your E-File status on TurboTax is what stage of the process your return is in. The blue bar will be full in TurboTax once the IRS accepts your tax return. Once your return has been accepted, only the IRS knows the status of your tax return.
Tax Topic 152 simply means your return is still in the processing stage and topics and bars disappearing mean the process is moving along.
The general timeline of e-filed returns is: Processing > Approval > Refund.
The IRS started processing returns later than in prior years and as such has a backlog to work through. They also just recently started processing returns claiming EIC and/or ACTC.
During processing, the government reviews your refund. During the review process, they look for math errors on your return (extremely rare in TurboTax) and they also check if you owe back taxes, unpaid child support, or other debts.
If they need to make any corrections, they may offset (reduce) your refund. In some cases, the correction might even increase your refund.
Once that part's done, the government approves your refund, which means it's ready to be deposited or sent. At that point the IRS site will update with a direct deposit date.
Continue to monitor the IRS Where's My Refund? site for updates regarding your return. Updates are made daily, usually overnight.
