The IRS sent me a letter stating that they are reviewing my refund. is this an Audit? how long should it take on average?

[xmasbaby0]

@Joew4 

Waiting is frustrating—refunds are taking longer in many cases.  These are not normal times.  It is not possible for TurboTax to speed up the IRS for you.   They are short staffed; and they are processing millions of tax returns at the same time that they have been burdened with the task of processing millions of stimulus checks. 

To check on regular tax refund status via automated phone, call 800-829-1954. (This line has no information on Economic Impact Payments.)

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

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.  Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic. 

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 20 of your 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...

To call the IRS:IRS:  800-829-1040  hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Mon-Fri

Listen to each menu before making the selection.

First choose your language. Press 1 for English.

Then do NOT choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

Instead, press 2 for "personal income tax".

Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  

Then press 3 "for all other questions."

Then press 2 "for all other questions."  It should then transfer you to an agent.

[Joew4]

I've called many times. I get hung up on every time. I haven't talked to an irs person in a work capacity in about 2 years. I haven't been able to get any answers this year from the irs. All the automatic responses have zero to do with my case or most people I know.  I have 4 friends in the same boat as me. No answers but if we didn't pay them it would be a huge mess. But apparently they have 26 months to sit on our paperwork without telling anyone anything or actually doing anything with it.

[mesquitebean]

@ Joew4

There are lots of delays this year due to the havoc caused by the China Coronavirus pandemic.   It has thrown a monkey wrench into the bulk of operations at the IRS.   Anything requiring any manual review/manual processing was shut down for several months as IRS centers closed and kept most personnel at home.  The IRS only began opening back up to any extent a few weeks ago and has a huge backlog.

If you continue to have no luck reaching the IRS, you can try contacting the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service for your area.    They are especially prone to help if you have an economic hardship, or if there have been continued delays with lack of info from the IRS.    At the following IRS website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate.    If the Taxpayer Advocate can't/won't help you, ask them to transfer you to an an IRS agent.  A couple of users reported that at least for them, that was a backdoor route to a live agent at the IRS.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-a-Local-Taxpayer-Advocate

Also see this article for more info on how the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service works::
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html

[smclemore1974]

Ok so now its Sept. 21st, still have not heard from the IRS or received any other letters.   Still keep getting the 60 more days routine.   I understand the whole COVID deal but it has now been 8 months to process my refund and stimulus check.   Frustrated is an understatement for us all.  If we owed money there is deadlines we must pay, but they owe us money....where are the deadlines.   They have as much time as they need to pay us.   And that little interest check they say we are going to get for having to wait is not enough to cover the frustration and hardship we are going through waiting around for it.  

[Jenfire27]

Did you ever get it resolved?

[Joew4]

I've had to hire a lawyer now. They will be resubmitting my returns and forcing them to review them again. They did say I probably wouldn't recieve them for another year and a half to two years. But the good news is I'll most likely be able to pay my house off by the time they figure out what they are doing at the irs. 

[ErnieS0]

If you are having issues with IRS red tape, you can contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service. In-person offices are closed but they can help.

Complete Form 911.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS. TAS is here to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you know and understand your rights. TAS advocates can help if you have tax problems that you can’t resolve on your own.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is currently experiencing a high volume of incoming calls. As a result, you may experience lengthy wait times while trying to contact an advocate. Typically, the longest hold times are early mornings. We apologize for these delays and are taking steps to reduce hold times to better serve you.

[Chevy3234ever]

I haven’t received no letter or anything only email like a month ago saying I was accepted but I haven’t got anything no letter to say what day or anything

[HeatherPLO]

It can take 21 days from the time your return is accepted to the time you receive your refund.  It may also take longer due to other reasons, such as the particular forms that were filed, or due to the PATH Act.  For more details, please see the Help Article here.   

To check your e-filing status and/or track your refund, please see the link here.  

The IRS is also operating at mission-critical functions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which means there will be service delays with the following:

• Live phone support
• Processing tax returns filed on paper
• Answering mail from taxpayers
• Reviewing tax returns, even for returns filed electronically

For more information, please see this article issued by the IRS.

[Kboss]

I filed my 2020 taxes normally I get my refund like in three weeks this time I didn’t so I called the irs number couldn’t get anyone and when I finally did they told me to wait 10 weeks after waiting the ten weeks I called back they said my taxes had been selected for random review. I never got any mail or where’s my refund tool didn’t provide any information either, so my refund being under review was suspicious to me .  I waited a day and call again they rep told me no information on my taxes could be provided.  They keep giving me the run around and then telling me to wait 8 more weeks 

[mesquitebean]

---

@Kboss wrote:

I filed my 2020 taxes normally I get my refund like in three weeks this time I didn’t so I called the irs number couldn’t get anyone and when I finally did they told me to wait 10 weeks after waiting the ten weeks I called back they said my taxes had been selected for random review. I never got any mail or where’s my refund tool didn’t provide any information either, so my refund being under review was suspicious to me .  I waited a day and call again they rep told me no information on my taxes could be provided.  They keep giving me the run around and then telling me to wait 8 more weeks 

---

You can try contacting the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service for your area, but they may tell you the same thing.   However, they are especially prone to help if you have an economic hardship, or if there have been continued delays with lack of info from the IRS.    At the following IRS website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate.  

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-a-Local-Taxpayer-Advocate

Also see this article for more info on how the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service works::
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html