First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted:
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/
If accepted, they try to process it within three weeks but it can be longer. This year if you have earned income credit, additional child tax credit, unemployment and/or the repayment of the Premium Tax Credit then your return could be delayed in processing until sometime in May.
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 34of your 2020 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:
https://www.irs.gov/refunds
Although the IRS has processed and issued most refunds from e-filed returns around 21 days, because of the pileup caused by Covid, CARES Act, stimulus and the American Rescue Plan Act, some of the returns will require more time to review.
Several items can delay the processing of the 2020 return ... some of which are :
> unemployment
> repayment of the PTC
> stimulus credit on line 30 of the 2020 form 1040
> if you used the 2019 earned income for the 2020 EIC &/or CTC/ACTC
> if you have prior year balance dues or unfiled returns
> the info on the W-2 doesn't match what the employer sent in and/or the employer's W-2 is not yet on file
> a variety of other items that require humans to look at
Due to understaffing and over tasking at the IRS again this year many returns will be delayed for as much as months. The aging computer system is being over taxed trying to process millions of 2019 returns and 2020 returns (some of which will need extra processing this year due to the late tax law changes) AND putting out the third stimulus payments. If you want to vent to someone then contact your local congress person and demand they fund the IRS sufficiently so that they can hire enough people and update their computer systems to handle all of the demands made upon this agency. The IRS can only do so much with the continued reductions to their budget.
See these recent news articles for a good laugh:
Where is my damn IRS tax refund? New answers emerge as delays frustrate millions (msn.com)
https://money.yahoo.com/taxpayers-waiting-to-get-last-years-tax-refund-190333088.html
https://money.yahoo.com/irs-employees-say-out-of-ink-printers-are-delaying-tax-returns-171522801.htm...
Called the IRS lately? Agency struggles to hire customer service reps despite pandemic unemployment ...
