I never received my tax return from last year, and it's impossible to contact the IRS or a HUMAN BEING at TurboTax. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO??

[xmasbaby0]

There have been a lot of delays for 2020  federal refunds.  Did you mail your return or e-file?

If you mailed it:

MAILED RETURNS

If  you mail a tax return (or a payment) to the IRS, it is a good idea to use a mailing service that will track it like UPS or certified mail so you will know it was received.

When you mail a tax return, you need to attach any documents showing tax withheld, such as your W-2’s or any 1099’s. 

TurboTax will not know anything about your mailed return, and will continue to show “Ready to Mail” on your account.  TurboTax will not know that you put your tax return in an envelope and took it to a mailbox.  TurboTax does not get updates on mailed  (or e-filed) returns.

The IRS refund site is only showing information about 2021 refunds now so it will not show anything about your 2020 refund.

Or......

Did you e-file?  Did you click a big orange button that said “Transmit my returns now?”

When you e-file your federal return you will receive two emails from TurboTax.  The first one will say that your return was submitted.  The second email will tell you if your federal return was accepted or rejected.  If you e-filed a state return, there will be a third email to tell you if the state accepted or rejected your state return.

Does your TT account say that your return was accepted?  Or does it say something else—like “rejected”, “printed” or “ready to mail?”  If it does not say accepted then it was not filed unless you put it in an envelope yourself and mailed it.

 TurboTax does not mail your tax return for you.

If your e-file was accepted:

The IRS refund site only displays information about 2020 refunds now, so you will not see any information there about your 2019 refund.

If you chose to have your fees deducted from your federal refund:

Santa Barbara Tax Products Group, LLC  (SBTPG) is the bank that handles the Refund Processing Service when you choose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your refund. This option also has an additional charge from the bank that processes the transaction. 

You can contact them SBTPG, toll-free, at 1-877-908-7228 or go to their secure website www.sbtpg.com 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2580357-who-provides-the-refund-processing-service

To call the IRS:IRS:  800-829-1040  hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Mon-Fri

Listen to each menu before making the selection.

First choose your language. Press 1 for English.

Then do NOT choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

Instead, press 2 for "personal income tax".

Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  

Then press 3 "for all other questions."

Then press 2 "for all other questions."  It should then transfer you to an agent.

TAX ADVOCATE

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

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

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

[crackerjack854]

This doesn't help.  Those IRS numbers refuse to connect to a human being, the turbotax number refuses to connect to a human being despite the fact I purchased support and the phone bot can't or won't find my account (WHICH IM CLEARLY TYPING FROM!)

So what am I supposed to do?

The IRS is no longer showing that my return is being processed, and it's impossible to reach them. 

[crackerjack854]

Please don't give me badges.  It's demeaning.  This isn't a video game.  It's my life. 

[xmasbaby0]

@crackerjack854 The IRS has switched the refund site to prepare to start showing information for 2021 returns and will not be showing information for 2020 returns.   If you have been seeing information there for your 2020 return up to now, they have your return and it is still in processing---but sadly----the information is not going to be displayed now.

"I purchased support..."    TurboTax never gets any information from the IRS after you file your tax return, so TT cannot help you or speed up the IRS for you.   The IRS is not going to tell TurboTax anything at all about your refund.    This is between you and the IRS.   We hear anecdotally that calling at 7 in the morning sometimes works to get a human at the IRS.   Have you tried that?

[crackerjack854]

Happy to hear this is between me and the IRS because I clicked the box that said TurboTax gets their money when I do.  So I would think it's in TurboTax's interest to assist with returns.  Regardless, if I can't talk to an actual human being, I won't use the service again.  I don't like bad customer service and my money intertwining. 

[xmasbaby0]

Sorry for your frustration.   You have not mentioned how long ago you filed.   The very severely backlogged IRS has been taking a long time to process 2020 returns and there are still millions of people waiting.

But if you chose to have your fees deducted from your federal refund, you actually made a different agreement than you might think--

 When you choose "refund processing" with the third party bank   --  Please make note that if your refund takes too long to arrive (IRS delays, etc.) then you will also be agreeing that the TurboTax fees can be extracted from your bank account even before your refund is issued by the IRS.  This comes as an unpleasant shock to many people every year.   It is better to pay for the software upfront using a credit card than to face the extra $39.99 fee and the possibility of the fees coming out of your account at a very inconvenient time.

I do not recommend "refund processing"---it is better to pay the fees upfront instead of risking the pitfalls of IRS delays causing a debit from your account before you get your refund.

[Critter-3]

That tool has been changed over to the 2021 tax year so you will no longer get updates on the 2020 return. 

Check your account transcripts instead :  

https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account

If it has been shown up to now on the refund site then you know the IRS has your return and they are working on it.   

To call the IRS:IRS:  800-829-1040  hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Mon-Fri

Listen to each menu before making the selection.

First choose your language. Press 1 for English.

Then do NOT choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

Instead, press 2 for "personal income tax".

Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  

Then press 3 "for all other questions."

Then press 2 "for all other questions."  It should then transfer you to an agent.

TAX ADVOCATE

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

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

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

[vantonian]

Sounds awfully familiar. I filed my 2020 return on Aug 28th 2021 (more than 4 months ago) through TurboTax and got all indications that everything was OK. Checked today and their Refund status app tells me my information doesn't match their records. It was previously telling me it was being processed and to be patient. Comforting to know that's b/c of a deficiency in their IT systems that can only check the previous calendar year, but I have the same question... Where can I get a status from now?