Still no federal refund

[hawke]

I e-filed my taxes on the beginning of March and mailed an amendment the next day. The amendment payment was deducted promptly but I still haven't received the e-file direct deposit refund 6 weeks later. The IRS refund status still says processing. This is way longer than last year. Allowance time before calling is 21 days e-filing and 6 weeks by mail. However I haven't been able to get through to the IRS via their numbers, including [phone number removed].

[CassLO]

Yes, the IRS is not taking calls at this time. Unfortunately, TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS once your return is "Accepted". If the Where’s My Federal Refund? site shows your tax return is processing,  during this time the government reviews your refund. During the review process, they look for math errors on your return (extremely rare in TurboTax) and they also check if you owe back taxes, unpaid child support, or other debts. 

If they need to make any corrections, they may offset (reduce) your refund. In some cases, the correction might even increase your refund.

Once that part's done, the government approves your refund, which means it's ready to be deposited or sent. At that point the IRS site will update with a direct deposit date. 

The general timeline of e-filed returns is: Transmission > Acceptance > Processing > Approval > Refund.

Note: Once your refund status on the IRS shows "Refund Sent" it can take 1 to 5 business days approximately, for the financial institution to deposit fund into your account. 

Please see the links below for more information:

• Where's My Tax Refund? The IRS Refund Timetable Explained
• IRS Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions
• What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days? - TurboTax Support Video

[hawke]

I appreciate the outline but I'm wondering how much longer I can expect this delay to be, given my case is pretty straightforward, and others' experiences with delays for straightforward cases. For example, is almost everyone's federal refund currently this delayed after e-filing? If not, is it possible the IRS made a mistake after getting confused by the amended tax return I mailed a day after e-filing, and the refund is now stuck in "processing" limbo?

[CassLO]

It is recommended that you wait until your return is fully processed before submitting a Amended return to the IRS. Amending your return shouldn't delay your original refund. Please see the below links:

Will amending delay my original tax refund?

Topic No. 308 Amended Returns

Many customers are seeing their returns in the "Processing" stage with which seems to be longer than normal. Continue to monitor your refund on the IRS Where’s My Federal Refund? site for updates. Updates are made daily, usually overnight. You may also download the IRS2Go app to check your Federal refund status.

[hawke]

There's a "570 Additional account action pending" dated end of March on my account transcript which means the refund is withheld pending further review. Is this happening with the masses this year or is the IRS being particular here? You can check at https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account.

[SForrestLO]

@hawke Turbo Tax will not have a status on your refund. If the IRS website says processing, this means they are working on it.

Please use this link to track your refund from the IRS. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/use-the-wheres-my-refund-tool

Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

[hawke]

As of last night the IRS refund status checker won't even recognize my details. On the app it says "Refund Status Error: Information does not match. Please reenter your information." On the site it says "You may not have entered your information correctly. Please verify your personal tax data and try again." I then verify my filing date and method but they still cannot provide any info about my refund, instead asking me to reverify my info. Is everyone having this issue? Looks like their system is broken.

[JeanneLO]

@hawke

If you were previously able to obtain a status this error is due to high volumes please check back later on Where's My Refund?. Currently it is the only way to check federal tax refund status with the IRS.

[hawke]

Finally received my federal refund recently. Talk about a delay.