Still no refund 1 month after acceptance

[Megch]

My form was accepted by the IRS on February 11. Still no refund and impossible to contact the IRS, I get the message "Due to an extremely high call volume..." etc.  Is this happening to anyone else? I've looked over my taxes and I don't see anywhere where I've messed up, and the wheres my refund tool says still processing.  

[xmasbaby0]

FROM THE IRS:

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

Please note that the IRS says its own system is lagging and you do not need to call the IRS about your refund.

Sadly, the IRS refund site is behaving erratically and is not always reliable this year.   TurboTax has no control over this and cannot find out anything about your refund for you.

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...

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

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc152

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/refund-timing

[kmullins11]

I am having the same issue. My tax return was electronically accepted on February 12th by the IRS and I've yet to see my tax refund. I even have my refund being direct deposited so there aren't any "mailing" delays. Curious if others are still waiting as I am?

[ToddL99]

Your experience is very common -  the IRS is encountering major delays in processing 2020 tax returns, and is almost impossible to reach by phone.

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.

The delays are largely a result of a year’s worth of extraordinary stimulus measures that have created more complicated tax returns for millions of Americans. The IRS was already straining to adjust after the December stimulus package. The newest package, the American Rescue Plan, adds even more tasks for the agency, including sending out another round of one-time payments, making changes to tax rules to help unemployed workers and paying out a new child tax benefit.