I filed my federal and state tax return on March 11. I printed out a hard copy of each completed return. Why is there no record of this?

[CassandraLO]

Did you E-file? If so, please check your here - e-file status lookup tool, to ensure it has been accepted by the IRS. When you e-file 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 e-file. 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.

If you are checking your status on Where's My Refund? site, make sure to only enter your federal income amount, not federal and state combined. Another important factor can be if you are married filing jointly and make sure you are using the Social Security Number for the name that appears first on the return. If still no record, wait and try again. The IRS Where's My Refund? tool updates every 24 hours. 

If you printed and mailed in your returns, the IRS asks that you wait 4 weeks. You would receive notification once the IRS accepts your mailed return.

If your return was accepted less than 21 days ago, hang in there. It can take anywhere from a few days to 3 weeks to go from acceptance to approval. 

[KatrinaLO]

After acceptance, but before processing the status may not be available. If you contact the government or try look up your refund status while your return is still pending, don't be surprised if they tell you "no record found." This is normal; until the government starts reviewing and processing your return, they won't have any record of it. 

Once you've confirmed your return has been accepted, you can begin to track your refund. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, although some require additional time. Please see below for more information on tracking your refund: https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5340655

There are a few ways you can track your tax return.

·         If you filed your tax return through TurboTax, you can view the status of your tax return by going to this site: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/wheres-my-refund/

·         You may also track the status of your return by visiting: https://www.irs.gov/refunds

·         There is also an app: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp

Here is the general timeline of e-filed returns:

Transmission > Acceptance > Processing > Approval > Refund.