Taxes stuck in pending mode

This is because the IRS are not accepting electronic filings at this time. The IRS timetable for accepting electronic filings is February 12 according to their website information. State returns are never accepted until the federal returns are accepted by IRS. 

Pending simply means that your e-filed return is on its way and that the government hasn't accepted or rejected it yet.

 

If you e-filed your return before February 12, it'll stay in Pending status until the IRS starts processing the backlog of returns.

 

After that, e-filed returns generally sit in Pending status for 24–48 hours before coming back as either Accepted or Rejected. Sometimes state returns stay in Pending for several days or even longer.

 

What does "Pending" mean? (intuit.com)

Mine has been stuck like this a friends of mine who filed the same day. has been accepted.  Is there a timeline of how long it will take the backlog will take to clear?  From my understanding, the first level for the accepted or rejected is a computer check of names and SSN only.  Is this true?

Every return is different, so therefore each return will be accepted or rejected at different times. Regardless of who filed first. 

 

Accepted does mean your return passed the initial check for the social security number. 

 

You can click here to track your return.