Accepted means your tax return is now in the government's hands and has passed the initial inspection (your verification info is correct, dependents haven't already been claimed by someone else, etc.).
After acceptance, the next step is for the government to approve your refund.
First, they look for things like back taxes and unpaid child support. If they find any debts, they'll offset (reduce) your refund to cover the outstanding amount. Once they are satisfied that you have no outstanding debts, they will approve and then issue your refund.
Think of the e-filing/refund process along the lines of applying for a job; although the employer (government tax agency) has received (accepted) your job application, they still have to review (approve) your application before they grant you an interview (refund).
What is the average time-frame until the status move from 'accepted' to 'approved'?
there isn't a way to predetermine that time, it varies
That is why it was asked what is the AVERAGE time. The answer that it varies poor at best. Pull some data please
The IRS issues most refunds in about 21 days, although some returns take more time to review.
It really depends on the factor of your taxes, if your self employed, have dependants other tax credits. If you file single with no dependants and you owe nothing approval will be in just a few short days, but with dependants and when you file it could take up to a week I do many peoples taxes and it does vary on a wide range of different things but with that being said let's just say up to about a week.. Just to give you a time frame. 😊
I submitted on January 19 2020 and have 1 dependent. Yet it hasnt been approved yet just accepted. Could something be wrong?
We can't give you an exact date at this time. Refunds can be issued in less than 21 days, but there are cases where it can take longer to process.
TurboTax will only show the status of returns (not refunds), such as when the return is actually accepted. You would not be able to directly track the status of your refund from within your TurboTax account. TurboTax is not connected the IRS or state department(s) of revenue refund tracking tools.
TurboTax updates what stage your return is in and the IRS site updates when you can expect your refund:
Once your tax return has been submitted, the most up to date information will come from the IRS.
It can take anywhere from a few days to 3 weeks to update. Until the IRS starts processing it on their own, you may not find record of it or the website may say that you have put in incorrect information when tracking your federal refund. As your return moves through the system, the status of it will be updated accordingly. Continue checking the Where’s My Federal Refund? tool for updates.
In statistics, an average is defined as the number that measures the central tendency of a given set of numbers. Why won't you just answer the question asked instead of giving excuses of why you can't answer a different question?
@Githknight Unfortunately, we do not have access to when the IRS will issue the refund. To get that information, you would need to utilize the IRS Where's my Refund? tool. The tool is updated daily (usually in the overnight hours) so you don’t need to check more often.
So i put in my tax retuen in 5 days ago and it still have not been appoved should i be worried I have no dependece or anything!
@ErnestATL it can take up to 21 days before your status changes from accepted to approved. For more information, visit: https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/return-status/help/my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-problem-should-i-be-worried/00/26478
Every tax frame I’ve seen said that if you were accepted by February 24th that they should be releasing funds by March 6th yet mine still hasn’t changed to approved yet. I have no dependents, and no other issues
@Richardm6677 Although most refunds are processed within 21 days of acceptance, some returns require additional review which causes a delay in processing. Please see Why do some refunds take longer than others? for more information.
If it has been over 21 days since your tax return has been accepted, please see What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days?
I did my taxes on friday 3/28 at 12:23pm but it's now Tuesday and it still says pending? Should I be worried?
@Christinam198534 Pending status means that the IRS has received your tax return but has yet to start processing it. Sometimes returns stay in Pending for several days or even longer, especially when submitting your return just before the weekend. The IRS is also running on a limited staff right now. Keep checking the Where’s My Refund? site for updates. The IRS updates the site daily, usually in the overnight hours.
Where’s My Refund? has a tracker that displays progress through 3 stages: (1) Return Received, (2) Refund Approved and (3) Refund Sent.
Please see the links below for more information:
How long does it take for the irs to approve a refund because mine got accepted today and I would like how long it’ll be to get my refund
This Turbo Tax FAQ will provide more information on when the IRS will begin accepting returns.
My return was accepted not approved yet. I'm guessing it could be up to 3 weeks before its approved for a refund? Is that a normal to accurate time frame?
It was accepted on 02/10/2021.
Yes. Taking up to 21 days for your return to be issued is the normal timeframe for the IRS.
Some returns are approved sooner, and some returns can be approved later, but the average time is 21 days from the date of acceptance.
Please refer to the help article below.
Taxes weren’t being accepted until Feb 12th and if you have dependents they won’t be until after Feb 21st. As I was told..
It depends on if you know the difference between your & you’re....
Mine still isn't approved and was accepted a week ago! And this is just to claim stimulus money I didn't get for my children! So why the hold up?
Do you have the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)? Those returns are delayed by law. The law provides additional time to help the IRS stop fraudulent refunds and claims from being issued, including to identity thieves.
The IRS anticipates a first week of March refund for many EITC and ACTC taxpayers if they file electronically with direct deposit and there are no issues with their tax returns. This would be the same experience for taxpayers if the filing season opened in late January. Taxpayers will need to check Where's My Refund for their personalized refund date.