What does pending mean

[mesquitebean]

An efile status of "pending" means the IRS has not yet responded with an accepted or rejected notice.   Usually an efiled return may be in "pending" status for 24-48 hours, but the IRS has not yet officially opened for processing of returns.

For most people the IRS will not start processing returns  until January 27, so most people who efile now will be in "pending" status and won't know anything further about the efile status until after January 27, except for a few returns that are pulled early for testing purposes.    Once the IRS opens, it generally takes 24-48 hours to hear if accepted or rejected, but there can be a backlog at first.

To check the efile status you can log back into your Online TurboTax account periodically and check the status at the Tax Home page.  You should also get an email notice when the return is accepted or rejected.  But as I said above, for most people that will be after January 27.