Turbo Tax gave me a estimated refund date that has passed

[crystalh831]

I filed my taxes on February 2 and they were excepted on February 12. TurboTax gave me an estimated refund date of March 5. I still have not received my taxes. There are no status bar’s when I check my status return on the IRS website. Is this happening to anyone else? I also have not received any letters in the mail asking for identity confirmation. This has never happened to me before.

[SweetieJean]

The status bars disappear after 21 days, even if the IRS is still processing.  And there is a backlog at the IRS, due to COVID, stimulus payments, last minute tax law changes and more.

[Candyj8]

I see the same thing on the IRS website. Wish I knew what was going on.

[macuser_22]

The IRS is running behind due to COVID and a huge amount of early tax returns being filed this year.

21 days is not a magic number - it is just an average.

TurboTax only gives the general IRS (most returns are processed within 21 days) date. The actual date is known only by the IRS. TurboTax also does not adjust the general date for anything on the tax return. TurboTax receives no feedback from the IRS after filing.

The IRS says most refunds will be issued within 21 days - some faster, some longer.
(Most means more than half so many take longer - MUCH longer)

Each tax return is evaluated on it's own merits. There is no first-in-first-out. Two similar tax return submitted at the same time can have totally different processing times based on IRS criteria for examining tax returns that the IRS does not divulge.

Some returns will be held for ID verification or other verification. The IRS will send a letter if they require more information to process your tax return.


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

Check your refund stratus here:
https://www.irs.gov/refunds

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

[Candyj8]

Do you know what tax laws will change and if it will affect our already filed taxes?

[macuser_22]

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@Candyj8 wrote:

Do you know what tax laws will change and if it will affect our already filed taxes?

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No tax laws have changed as of now.

[csdsjpd30]

We all seem to be stuck just the same! No communication at all. Can’t get anywhere by calling. No answers. We are just at the back of the pile when we should’ve been first. Makes no sense and they’ve really let people down this year. Most families depend on this money for bills. I’m not too impressed at all. I’m very aggravated.

[macuser_22]

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@csdsjpd30 wrote:

We all seem to be stuck just the same! No communication at all. Can’t get anywhere by calling. No answers. We are just at the back of the pile when we should’ve been first. Makes no sense and they’ve really let people down this year. Most families depend on this money for bills. I’m not too impressed at all. I’m very aggravated.

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As stated above, there is not "bottom of the pile".

Each tax return is evaluated on it's own merits. There is no first-in-first-out. Two similar tax return submitted at the same time can have totally different processing times based on IRS criteria for examining tax returns that the IRS does not divulge.

Some refunds will be paid in 1-2 weeks, others in 2-3 months and some 6 months or longer and require additional information to be sent.

[Krisys]

There is definitely a bottom of the pile....mine were also accepted on the 12th and everyday wmr says to allow 24 hours for them to update to received.  When I called, they could not even confirm they have my return.  So yes, there is a bottom of the barrel. 

[macuser_22]

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@Krisys  wrote:

There is definitely a bottom of the pile....mine were also accepted on the 12th and everyday wmr says to allow 24 hours for them to update to received.  When I called, they could not even confirm they have my return.  So yes, there is a virgin of the barrel. 

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As I said  they are lagging behind.  I would not put too much faith in WMR as I have seen taxpayers receiving that message even after they have received their refund on their bank account.

[Lissy2878]

I filed in January and got the same thing from TurboTax. It’s getting very frustrating not being able to get any information on the irs website or by phone. Something needs to be done. This is our money that they are holding on to.

[Lissy2878]

I’m feeling the same way! People depend on this money. They need to at least start saying something to give people an idea on when we’ll be getting them. I filed in January. They say file early but it didn’t get me anywhere.

[macuser_22]

Just for the future information:

The IRS has announced when 2020 tax filing will start in 2021 on February 12.

Although TurboTax will be accepting some e-filed returns early they will NOT be e-filed to the IRS which will not process any return until they open for e-fileing. TurboTax stores those returns filed early until the IRS opens for business, only then will you get an e-mail telling you if the return was accepted or rejected by the IRS.

Only the simplest returns can be transmitted to TurboTax early. Some forms will not be finalized until late Jan. and some later then that.

Why does TurboTax allow early filing? Because their competitors do - It is a marketing ploy.

Filing early with TurboTax before the IRS opens is a really BAD IDEA.

1) If you discover something that is wrong on your return, receive a W-2 that is different, receive some other tax document that was not on the return that you filed then there is NOTHING that you can do about it other than wait to see if the IRS accepts or rejects the return after they open. If rejected you can correct and file again, but if accepted then the only remedy is to amend which can take 4 months to process.

2) You must remember to check back after the IRS opens (or check for an e-mail) to confirm that the IRS has accepted or rejected the return. If rejected, then it was never filed at all and must be corrected and re-filed. Every year many taxpayers that file early, forget to check back and only discover months later that they never actually filed because if was rejected by the IRS but they had forgotten about checking back after filing with TurboTax.

3) While the IRS does conduct some per-opening polling tests and does accept some returns early, they will not process those until after the official opening. There is a reason to test and that is to discover any problems with it's systems. A couple of years ago a test went bad and several thousand "test" returns were lost. The IRS was able to recover those but it delayed refunds for some by months.

There is no real advantage to file before the IRS opens but there are several disadvantages to do so.

[crystalh831]

I think if there was a mistake on my return or if they needed further information for my identity they would have sent me a letter by now. My sister did her taxes one week after I did and they sent her a letter the following week saying they needed to further confirm her identity. It’s been almost a month now and I haven’t received a letter or anything. Has anyone called?

[Sherris1809]

Same thing.  Accepted Feb 12 still showing Pended.  Tried calling,  get a recording that they are unable to take calls.