Your federal refund can take longer than 21 days to process for the following reasons:
The IRS also cautions that financial institutions may vary in how long they take to process direct deposits, and paper checks are subject to mail delays.
IRS representatives can only research your refund if it’s been at least 21 days since you e-filed, at least 6 weeks since you mailed your return, or if their Where’s My Refund? lookup tool tells you to contact them.
If Where's My Refund? says your return has been received but your refund has not yet been approved, that means the IRS has your return and is actively working on it.
Your federal refund can take longer than 21 days to process for the following reasons:
The IRS also cautions that financial institutions may vary in how long they take to process direct deposits, and paper checks are subject to mail delays.
IRS representatives can only research your refund if it’s been at least 21 days since you e-filed, at least 6 weeks since you mailed your return, or if their Where’s My Refund? lookup tool tells you to contact them.
If Where's My Refund? says your return has been received but your refund has not yet been approved, that means the IRS has your return and is actively working on it.