How long is the wait time on average between accepted and refund issued? For federal and CA

[VolvoGirl]

Federal and state are completely separate.  State refunds have been coming faster than federal.  Federal is taking much longer due to Covid-19.

Did you efile or mail your return? They didn't start opening the mail until June that's been stacking up. Back in March the IRS closed their processing centers and stopped processing mailed tax returns.
See this IRS page for the latest information
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue

If you efiled....Was your return Accepted? First double check your efile status here
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

When you efile you get back 2 emails. The first email only confirms the transmission. The second email says if the IRS (or state) Accepted or Rejected your efile.

Then only the IRS can tell you. IRS Where's my refund https://www.irs.gov/refunds/
Make sure you are using the refund amount from your actual federal tax return and not the combined amount Turbo Tax showed you at the end. That was for federal and state combined.

When you log into your account you should also see the status and if it was Accepted or Rejected, Started, Printed, Ready to Mail, etc.  what does it say?

When will you get your refund,
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/refund-status/help/when-will-i-get-my-irs-tax-refund/01/25589

[Anonymous]

federal - some in 2 months some in 4 months. some have posted in late October that they filed in late January and early February and still haven't gotten their refunds.

[xmasbaby0]

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities,  There is no rule as to which one will come first or how much time there will be between their arrivals.

Waiting is frustrating—federal refunds are taking longer in many cases.  These are not normal times.  It is not possible for TurboTax to speed up the IRS for you.   The IRS is short staffed; and they are processing millions of tax returns at the same time that they have been burdened with the task of processing millions of stimulus checks. 

To check on regular tax refund status via automated phone, call 800-829-1954. (This line has no information on Economic Impact Payments.)

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer.  Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic. 

Once your federal return has been accepted by the IRS, only the IRS has any control. TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS. Your ONLY source of information about your refund now is the IRS.

You need your filing status, your Social Security number and the exact amount  (line 20 of your Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

[Anonymous]

it varies.  efiled on 10/9 got my federal refund on 10/21. still waiting for the state.