Federal return accepted but IRS says it's not there

[chiseled]

I've called the IRS to check on when my refund would come in as its been over 10 weeks, they checked all my information and have informed me that there was never anything filed. Turbo Tax says my federal E-file was accepted and I was charged but that's clearly not accurate. How do I get this fixed?

[Texas Roger]

The IRS can sometimes may mistakes. What does it say at this link: https://shop.turbotax.intuit.com/efile/efile_status_lookup.jsp

If it says accepted, what does the IRS tracking web site say about the status: https://www.irs.gov/refunds

Make sure you use the federal refund only when accessing the site and not the combined federal and state refunds. 

If you can't verify that it was efiled and can't find it on the IRS web site, you will need to talk with TurboTax support directly for assistance: https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/how-do-i-contact-turbotax/00/26991

[chiseled]

Thank you for your reply.

TurboTax's page says accepted; the IRS says processing. However, I spoke with an IRS agent directly after being on hold for a bit over an hour, and they have stated that nothing has been received.

The numbers are correct, and I have had no state return to file. The federal refund amount was input correctly.

I filed on May 8th.

Currently, Turbotax is not taking any calls for the day. I understand they are busy, but now they have given false and incorrect information. I have confirmation that it was accepted, but now the IRS states otherwise.

Any advice as to what to say, or force Turbotax to resend information, and cover and late issues?

[Texas Roger]

The IRS would not say your return is processing if they had not received it and started to process it. I think your IRS agent made a mistake. Did you tell the agent when you talked to the IRS that you had checked the Where's My Refund web site and it said the return was being processed?

Here is the procedure the IRS uses after a return is accepted: https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

There is nothing TurboTax can do for you if everything in the TurboTax files say it was efiled and accepted. TurboTax can't resend an efiled return that has already been efiled and accepted. It would just be rejected by the IRS. 

[shavonrhouston]

My Federal has been accepted since February have not received yet what should I do I efiled.  

[Texas Roger]

Waiting and not knowing the status of your tax return and refund can be frustrating.
Unfortunately TurboTax gets no information about the status of your refund.
In normal times, the IRS says that most filers get their refunds within 21 days from the time their tax return is accepted.
Many returns are taking longer now since the IRS did not process returns for a while and there is now a big backlog of unprocessed returns.
To protect the public and employees, and in compliance with orders of local health authorities around the country, certain IRS services
such as live assistance on telephones, processing paper tax returns and responding to correspondence are still limited.
They are now taking phone calls with a limited staff but it's hard to get through.
Press reports indicate they are processing about 1 million mailed returns a week working through the backlog of millions of unprocessed mailed returns.

If you efiled your return, have you confirmed that the return was submitted by TurboTax and accepted by the IRS?
https://shop.turbotax.intuit.com/efile/efile_status_lookup.jsp

If accepted, what does the IRS tracking web site say about the status of your refund?
https://www.irs.gov/refunds

If you mailed your return, you must print and mail it yourself. TurboTax does not mail it for you. You will not be able to start tracking your return until the IRS starts processing it.

Here is an IRS Q&A with information about refunds:
https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

See this info about the current status of IRS operations:
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue

If your return is being processed, you can call the IRS to find out why it is taking so long.

Call the IRS: 1-800-829-1040 hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Monday-Friday
When calling the IRS do NOT choose the first option re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.
So after first choosing your language, then do NOT choose Option 1 (refund info). Choose option 2 for "personal income tax" instead.
Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".
Then press 3 "for all other questions."
Then press 2 "for all other questions."
- When it asks you to enter your SSN or EIN to access your account information, don't enter anything.
- After it asks twice, you will get another menu.
Press 2 for personal or individual tax questions.
Then press 4 for all other inquiries
It should then transfer you to an agent.

You might also try contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service for help:

https://www.irs.gov/taxpayer-advocate

[wupsh15]

I filed in March & finally got a letter from the IRS that they are working on it verifying the information. Due to COVID they apologized for the delay...

IRS is also flooded with calls so I’m just waiting it out. It’s beyond frustrating

[deana1977]

Did this ever get resolved. I am now in the same situation. INFURIATING. Any help on how you resolved it would be immensely appreciated. Thank you!

[Critter-3]

If it's been more than 90 days since the return was accepted  then you can ask for help from the Tax Payer Advocate office:

At the following IRS website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-a-Local-Taxpayer-Advocate

If you are unsuccessful with the Taxpayer Advocate for your area, you can also try the special IRS phone number for the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778.

More info on the Taxpayer Advocate Service:
http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about/who-we-are

http://www.irs.gov/Advocate/Taxpayer-Advocate-Service-6

Also see this article for more info on how the Taxpayer Advocate Service works:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html

[rosemaryholt]

I am in a similar situation. The only way I knew my return hadn't been processed was when I accessed my Social Security account and it showed no income for 2019. TurboTax verfied it had been filed. The IRS stated that they can't verify that it has been received or processed.  I understand that 2020 has been a difficult year for all federal agencies, however, I am reluctant to file my 2020 return when I can't receive verification about my 2019 return.

[rosemaryholt]

I didn't mention from my previous post that I am self employed and paid $14,000 in quarterly taxes last year.  They may not be able to find my filed tax form but I do have the cancelled checks from paying  quarterly taxes.

[Magnum1965]

I filed my Taxes on the 7th of February. Got an email saying the IRS accepted the return on the 12th of February. The total was $1988.00 and Turbo tax fees were deducted to make the refund $1838.00. It is now March 17th and I checked the status of the refund at the IRS and they have no record of this tax return. I also called the IRS  with the same results.

[EbonyA]

@rosemaryholt, The IRS is definitely experiencing delays due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic with many 2019 returns not yet processed. 

@Magnum1965 Please review the following FAQ: No record of return on WMR.

[Chief01]

I am just going to E-File again but with a different company.   I have mailed in a 2019 tax 2 times and the IRS still has no record of it? This I do not understand.

[EbonyA]

As mentioned above, the IRS is experiencing major delays due to the effects of the pandemic and many 2019 tax returns have not yet been processed (hence no record of it showing at this time). The IRS asks that tax payers do not send in subsequent returns - therefore e-filing again is definitely not advisable. Below is an excerpt from the IRS's website: @Chief01

"COVID-19 Mail Processing Delays

It’s taking us longer to process mailed documents including:

• Paper tax returns, and
• All tax return related correspondence.

We are processing all mail in the order we received it.

Do not file a second tax return or call the IRS".