Only the IRS knows. If your income tax return was approved by the IRS and it's been over 21 days, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Perhaps you had a federal refund offset, also.
Per IRS, some tax returns take longer to process than others for many reasons, including when a return:
- Includes errors
- Is incomplete
- Is affected by identity theft or fraud
- Includes a claim filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit. See Q&A below.
- Includes a Form 8379, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
- Needs further review in general
The IRS will contact you by mail when we need more information to process your return.