What does "Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available." Exactly mean?

[mesquitebean]

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@ kerrygoat2017 wrote:

I still haven’t received my 2019 tax refund, just mailed in my 2020 a week or so ago. Now it gets crazy because I’m looking up 2 different refund amounts and both say information doesn’t match. And...this is preventing me from getting my stimulus check. So freaking stressed out

I need that number please!!!!

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If you printed out, signed, and mailed your 2020 return only a week ago, then info on your 2020 return will not be in the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool for at least 4 weeks (or possibly longer due to the pandemic.)

And at this point in time, the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool may or may not have info on a 2019 return, or it may be that your 2019 is not being processed yet.

Here's how to reach the IRS to inquire about the delay on the 2019 return, but it may not be easy.    As for the 2020 return, they say to wait 6 weeks after mailing a paper return before calling.  So if you just mailed it a week or so ago, they can't help you with a 2020 return yet.    And I'll also tell you below how to reach the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service, if needed, in regards to the 2019 return.

IRS:  800-829-1040 (7AM-7 PM local time) Monday-Friday

When calling the IRS do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

• First choose your language.  Then listen to each menu before making the selection.
• Then 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 may then ask for your SSN, but do not enter it.  Just wait.    If it asks for SSN a second time, still do not enter it.
• Then it will get "tired", and you'll get another menu.  Choose 2 for "personal".
• Then in the next menu choose 4 for "all other inquiries", and it should transfer you to an agent but expect a long wait.
• I usually use a speakerphone so I can work on something else while waiting.

If you have no luck reaching the IRS to discuss the 2019 return, or if they don't provide good info, you can try contacting the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service for your area.    They are especially prone to help if you have an economic hardship, or if there have been continued delays with lack of info from the IRS.    At the following IRS website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate.    If the Taxpayer Advocate can't/won't help you, ask them to transfer you to an an IRS agent.  A couple of users reported that at least for them, that was a backdoor route to the IRS.

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

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

[mesquitebean]

@ kerrygoat2017 

Also see the answer I left you above.  Here's some more info:

The IRS FAQs say the WMR tool should have the refund info  "on the most recent tax year refund we have on file for you."   So it might find your 2019 info.  Here are some things to check first:

How did you file the 2019 return?   Was it efiled, or did you print and mail it?   If efiled, are you sure it was accepted?   If you used Online TurboTax, here's how to check.

Log in, and at the Tax Home scroll down to "Your Tax Returns & Documents."   Expand that section and choose tax year 2019.   What is shown for the status of the Federal return--does it say accepted, rejected, printed, started, or what?

If that showed the 2019 return was accepted (if efiled), or if you printed and mailed the return, here are some tips on using the IRS WMR tool:

• Be sure you enter the correct SSN and filing status.
• Be sure you are using only the Federal refund amount.   Do not include any state refund or any total refund or net refund (Fed and State) that TurboTax may have provided on a screen.  
• Also be sure you are using the Federal amount before any TurboTax fees are taken out (if you efiled and chose that payment option.)
• Look at your actual Federal return to get the Federal refund amount.  For a 2019 return it was on Form 1040, Line 21a.

• You can also try phoning the IRS refund hotline.  I've seen it work for some users when the WMR tool didn't.   But I don't know if it will still have info on a 2019 return at this point in time.  800-829-1954

Otherwise, you'll need to phone a live agent at the IRS to inquire about a 2019 return.  I've left you the steps on how to do that in my other answer above.

[terry-kimball]

Yesterday I got all they owed me finally.  This year's and last!!  HAPPY!!

[01 14 1960]

My refunds been accepted over a week now no changes yet guess you have to be patient

[Amandanicole27]

Same! I filed on the 12th (turbo tax acceptance on the 11th at 11pm) and the IRS is still processing. It’ll be 21 days on March 4th😡 But, I did claim to kids under the age of 18. So I don’t know if that’s why or not

[Tbasnar]

Why has my tax return gone from “being processed” to “still being processed” when the IRS accepted my Federal Tax Return on 02/10/2021. What is going on because I have not seen any updates to my return.

[mesquitebean]

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@ Tbasnar wrote:

Why has my tax return gone from “being processed” to “still being processed” when the IRS accepted my Federal Tax Return on 02/10/2021. What is going on because I have not seen any updates to my return.

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The IRS may be looking at something a little more closely, or perhaps they need more info from you, and in some cases may send a letter.  No one can really know what all the IRS is doing.  Sometimes they pull returns at random for more processing.   And they are receiving an unusually massive number of returns right now due to stimulus payments, etc. , so that could slow down anything that might need some extra processing.   In the middle of February, they received 35 million tax returns in one week.

The IRS says on its website:

"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. [if filed in January-February]
  
• Includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
• Needs further review in general

"We will contact you by mail when we need more information to process your return."

How many days has it been since you filed?  

If it's been less than 21 days, there's nothing to do but wait.

If it's been longer than 21 days, if you want to inquire about the delay, here's how to speak to a live agent at the IRS:

IRS:  800-829-1040 (7AM-7 PM local time) Monday-Friday

When calling the IRS do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

• First choose your language.  Then listen to each menu before making the selection.
• Then 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 may then ask for your SSN, but do not enter it.  Just wait.    If it asks for SSN a second time, still do not enter it.
• Then it will get "tired", and you'll get another menu.  Choose 2 for "personal".
• Then in the next menu choose 4 for "all other inquiries", and it should transfer you to an agent but expect a long wait.
• I usually use a speakerphone so I can work on something else while waiting.

[slimboss07]

Same. I filled and was accepted on Feb 11th and now says. 

Your tax return is still being processed.

A refund date will be provided when available.

[goku9]

mine too filed end of january accepted feb 12 with 2 dependents. still processing but my brother got his last week. hmmm

[Tbasnar]

Mine got accepted February 10th and I had the status bar with being processed and the the status bar was gone with the message, your tax return is “still being processed” and a refund date will be provided when one is available. Just like you I have family and friends file after me and get their refunds first. 

[goku9]

yup that’s exactly what mine shows as well 

[Tbasnar]

Tomorrow will be 22 days since my tax return was accepted. I will use the information that you posted and thank you for the info.

[mesquitebean]

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@Tbasnar wrote:

Tomorrow will be 22 days since my tax return was accepted. I will use the information that you posted and thank you for the info.

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You're welcome.  Good luck.

[Shadowak13]

Same as most people here.

My Federal return got accepted by the IRS on  February 10th after submitting through TurboTax Electronically as I have done every year without issues except this year.

For the first few days when checking my return on the IRS website, "My Return Status" I had the status bar showing being processed.  Few days later I checked again  and the the status bar was gone with the message, your tax return is “still being processed” and a refund date will be provided when one is available.  This is beyond frustrating. Next year will be using a tax senior.  Tomorrow will be 22 days since being accepted. 

[VolvoGirl]

What is a Tax senior?  Once Turbo Tax sends your return and the IRS accepts it for processing then it is up to the IRS to process your return and send the refund.  Not the tax service you used.