If my return was accepted (18 Jan) by IRS before official processing date (29 Jan), can i expect a refund 21 days from 18 Jan or from 29 Jan?

[DoninGA]

The IRS will not start processing 2023 tax returns until January 29, 2024.  The 21 days is only a target by the IRS, it is Not a guarantee.

Go to this IRS website to check the status of your federal tax refund after 01/26/2024 - https://www.irs.gov/refunds

[xmasbaby0]

Only the IRS is in control, so do not "expect" your refund on any certain date until the IRS refund site gives you a date.   TurboTax only gives you an estimated date, but that date is not a promise.

And...if you are getting earned income credit or the refundable child tax credit the IRS will hold your refund until mid-February, so you will not receive it until late February.

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

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 35a of your 2023 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

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

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

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...

[joseph-kim523]

I guess i should reword my question - since IRS doesn’t officially open until 29 Jan, i am curious how my refund status already shows accepted. Does this happen often?

[joseph-kim523]

I guess i should reword my question - since IRS doesn’t officially open until 29 Jan, i am curious how my refund status already shows accepted. Does this happen often?

[DoninGA]

@joseph-kim523 Every tax year the IRS pulls a limited amount of tax returns from the various servers to test out their systems.  You return was probably one of those included in the test batch.  Although the return was accepted prior to 01/29 the IRS will not start processing the tax return until 01/29/2024.