refund

[astidias83]

i filed my taxes at the end of january and they were "approved" february 11.  i still haven't gotten my refund and its been over a month.  has anyone else had this issue?

[xmasbaby0]

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer. “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS.   Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic.  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; and they received over 35 million e-files when e-filing opened for 2020 returns.

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.

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.  if you have earned income credit or additional child tax credit, it will be at least the end of February before you see your refund, due to the PATH act that requires that they hold your refund longer.

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

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...

[astidias83]

we have done our taxes through turbo tax the last 5+ years.  i don't understand why its taking so long and that there is literally no one to talk to about this.  i filed my son's taxes 2 weeks after mine and he got his approved in hours and his refund in less that a week.  turbo tax says the irs has approved them on march 4, but when i look on the irs website, it says they are still being processed.  please advise

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

TurboTax never says your refund was "approved", because TT never knows if your refund has been approved.  TT can only tell you that your return was accepted---which is not the same thing.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer. “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS.   Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic.  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; and they received over 35 million e-files when e-filing opened for 2020 returns.

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.

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.  if you have earned income credit or additional child tax credit, it will be at least the end of February before you see your refund, due to the PATH act that requires that they hold your refund longer.

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

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...

[astidias83]

i have never had any delays when filing our taxes before, much less heard of the path act.

[xmasbaby0]

Perhaps you are not subject to the PATH act which has been around for over five years.   If you are getting earned income credit or additional child tax credit the IRS holds your refund as a fraud/identity theft prevention measure

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3397970-path-act-delayed-refunds-for-some-filers

Up to now you have been fortunate if you have not had any delays.   There are people whose 2019 refunds are still delayed a year later, and many people's 2020 returns are taking longer than normal thanks to the current pandemic.

[astidias83]

thank you very much for responding to me!  it is greatly appreciated!!

[Evern]

My federal tax return was accepted on February 11th I have not received my refund or no message saying that there was a problem with my refund has been over 21 days and please get some information for me on this matter

[xmasbaby0]

@Evern

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS.   Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic.  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; they received millions of e-filed on the day they opened for 2020 returns, and now they are burdened with sending out another round of stimulus checks.   

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

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

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...

[Linda Vietor]

I still have not recieved mine. It was accepted 5 weeks ago.

[danif0309]

I am in the same boat! Tax return was accepted 2/12/21 and I am still waiting! I check the IRS refund tracker every day and all it tells me is that my refund is still being processed and a refund date will be provided at a later time. I have been trying to get through on the 800 number [phone number removed]) and that is impossible.  All I get is a recording that due to the high volume of calls, my call cannot go through. Meanwhile I know 5 people who e-filed after me and have already received their refund. I don't have any earned income credit or additional child tax credit--I don't even itemize! I just want to know if there is an issue. Does anyone have a better phone number to call? I even tried my local IRS office. They have a recording as well that there are no live agents to speak with, I can only make an appointment. Very frustrating!

[Jgoy56]

Mine was accepted 2/21/21 and still say working on it. It was a simple no frills short form what’s taking so long. Ridiculous 

[ToddL99]

You will just have to be patient - the IRS is overwhelmed with changes in the tax law that started last year and are still happening (i.e. the the unemployment compensation exemption). They are also very busy with the latest round of stimulus checks and have the same COIVD workplace and workforce challenges  that the rest of the US is contending with.

If you filed your 2020 taxes and haven't received your refund, your experience is very common -  the IRS is encountering major delays in processing 2020 tax returns, and is almost impossible to reach by phone. 

The IRS Where’s My Refund? site is still the best first place to go for information. 

Why is this happening? Tax season (normally Jan 1 - Apr 15) is the busiest time of the year for the IRS. This year, they have also had to deal with major changes in the tax law, including ones that were passed retroactively in the past two weeks. They are also struggling with the same COVID workplace and workforce issues the rest of the country has encountered. 

According to  the Washington Post (Mar 12, 2021): 

Nearly 7 million tax filers are in limbo and facing substantial delays in getting refunds so far this tax filing season, as the Internal Revenue Service struggles to keep up with the demands of issuing stimulus checks and implementing myriad tax code changes from coronavirus relief packages, including the one President Biden signed this week. 

There are 6.7 million returns that have not yet been processed, more than three times the number in the same period last year, when fewer than 2 million returns faced delayed processing, IRS data shows. 

@Jgoy56

[Sgarza]

Where is my refund at it's been more than 21 days

[xmasbaby0]

@Sgarza 21 days was not a promise.

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

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 35a of your 2021 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing.

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...