Does anyone know what is going on with the Federal refunds? I filed Feb 17th and it still says it's processing but it was accepted on Feb 18th!

[Anonymous]

I filed and accepted 2/16. I called and was told to wait at least 10 weeks to receive my refund. 

[hjl2018]

I hope you're right, it's been 8 now. My MN state refund was accepted and done in 10 days. Federal accepted Feb 18th and still processing on the Where's my Refund site! It's never taken this long so hopefully 2 more weeks 

[Cass0317]

At TurboTax have no way of finding out specific information about the processing of an individual tax return once it's been transmitted to the government.

Please bear in mind that the IRS doesn't always move as fast as taxpayer would like (especially when waiting for a refund). Any taxpayer who reports certain items of income (such as self-employment) or certain tax credits (such as dependent care) can experience longer wait times for the IRS to process their tax return, and ultimately issue a tax refund.

Updates on the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool are done daily usually overnight on the IRS site, hopefully you will see that update soon.

The tracker displays progress through three stages:

Return Received (or may say Processing) > Refund Approved > Refund Sent

Please see the links below for more information:

• Why do some refunds take longer than others?
• Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions

@hjl2018

[hjl2018]

Thanks for your information but my Where's my refund doesn't even show the stages it just says my return has been received and is being processed, they will let me know when that changes. I do check everyday, I didn't have anything odd on my taxes. I have one dependent under 17 and one over, 1 job all year, I had insurance and my only extra was my retirement account contributions.  So I understand some take longer it just doesn't make any sense why mine would. 

[CarissaM]

@hjl2018 If they are still processing it, it will stay in the processing stage until they finish. 

If it has been beyond the 21 days, you can contact the IRS by clicking here to ask for any update on the return. 

[hjl2018]

[removed]

This is what I get and have for almost 2 months 

[EbonyA]

Please also keep in mind that due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the IRS is experiencing major delays. You may feel free to reach out to them directly but otherwise just continue to monitor WMR for updates and hopefully you will hear something soon.

[hjl2018]

[MarilynG1]

@hjl2018 TurboTax has no knowledge of the status of IRS processing of your return, once it has been Efile and Accepted.

Click this link for general info on Why is My Refund Taking Longer than 21 Days?

[SweetieJean]

The IRS is seriously backlogged due to all the new tax laws and extra stimulus filings, as well as unprocessed 2019 returns left over from the COVID shutdown. Unfortunately, contacting the IRS will not speed things up.  Lots of other folks are still waiting, so please continue to be patient.  Also see:

Why Tax Refunds Are Taking Longer Than Usual (forbes.com)

[Joytaylor1974]

I’ve been waiting 11 months for my refund.  It’s phone support is a joke. This is ridiculous!

[xmasbaby0]

@Joytaylor1974 

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