While we at TurboTax have no way of
finding out specific information about the processing of an individual tax
return once it's been transmitted to the government, the activity you observe
on the IRS's "Where's My Refund" website sounds quite
normal. In other words, the behavior you describe doesn't signify anything in particular.
There's absolutely no reason to
think that you're under review or that an audit is pending, so please don't
worry or be concerned about that. In fact, the messages and bars on the Where's
My Refund webpage change all of the time; and sometimes the same message is
displayed continuously, or the bars disappear. Sometimes an expected refund date is shown and then withdrawn. If your tax return ever is
chosen for further review, or an actual audit, then the website should plainly indicate
that, and also let you know to expect an IRS notice or letter by mail.
(You haven't observed any message like that, have you?)
Taxpayers who do have their returns
held for review, and who expect to receive an IRS notice, tell us that this
message appears clearly on the Where's My Refund website. The
behavior that you observe is more likely an indicator that your tax return is
simply moving through the processing system. It could also be that the
IRS is checking for additional information on something related to your tax
return (like matching your reported W-2 data with that separately reported to
the IRS by your employer); but we wouldn't call that a review . . . perhaps
only a small delay.
If enough time passes after filing
(21 days after e-file, or 6 weeks after paper file), and there is no new
information, at that time the IRS indicates that you can call them for
additional information, using the phone number provided on their Where's My
Refund website.
For now, the best course of action
is patience. The IRS doesn't always move as fast as taxpayers would like
(especially when waiting for a refund), and sometimes the action of the Where's My
Refund website can seem mysterious.
Thank you for asking this
question.
