What does the Irs mean by they are processing my return

[Tinabeeher]

Im waiting for my tax refund 

[VolvoGirl]

You have to keep waiting.   You are not alone. Millions are still waiting. Turbo Tax only gives you an estimated date. The IRS usually pays most refunds within 21 days. But these are not normal times. This year is taking the IRS longer to send the refunds. There are millions more people filing returns to get the Stimulus payment.

See this news article on Refunds being delayed
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/where-is-my-damn-irs-tax-refund-new-answers-emerge-a...

Only the IRS can tell you. If your return was Accepted then check IRS Where's my refund
https://www.irs.gov/refunds/

When will you get your refund?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/refund-status/help/when-will-i-get-my-irs-tax-refund/01/25589

IRS - Questions about Refunds
https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

Did you efile?  Was it Accepted?

Did you go all the way through the File tab, through the 3 steps and hit the big orange Transmit Returns Now button?

If you used the Online version you can check your efile status here     

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

When you efile you get back 2 emails.  The first email only confirms the transmission.  The second email says if the IRS (or state) Accepted or Rejected your efile.

When you log into your account you should also see the status and if it was Accepted or Rejected, Started, Printed, Ready to Mail, etc.  What does it say?

[Deshaunta2]

my taxes were accepted in Jan 2022 and now it says it is being processed what on earth is the delay should I be worried?? and what does processed mean?? How much longer am I going to have to wait untill I receive my refund?? I will be thinking about doing a different way to file my taxes next year this has been taking way to long!!

[DoninGA]

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@Deshaunta2 wrote:

my taxes were accepted in Jan 2022 and now it says it is being processed what on earth is the delay should I be worried?? and what does processed mean?? How much longer am I going to have to wait untill I receive my refund?? I will be thinking about doing a different way to file my taxes next year this has been taking way to long!!

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After the tax return has been Accepted by the IRS (meaning only that they received the return) it will be in the Processing mode until the tax refund has been Approved and then an Issue Date will be available on the IRS website.
See this IRS website for federal tax refund FAQ's - https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

[xmasbaby0]

@Deshaunta2 Once you file your tax return and it has been accepted, it is up the IRS to put it through various steps of processing and then to approve of your refund and issue your refund.  TurboTax has no control over how long the IRS takes to process your return.    You can track the progress on the IRS site.  TurboTax does not get any updates from the IRS.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

https://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

[fluxquantum94]

Hello in my case, I am waiting for my taxes to be processed by the IRS since I actually realize that I need to amend my 2021 return. I believe once they have processed it, only then I can file an amended return. Would you know how I can know when they have processed it? I am not expecting a refund, I owed taxes this year. Thank you all for your time.

[AkinaLO]

Once your return is accepted, you will be updated within TurboTax. Here's an article that gives steps to amend your return.

How do I amend my 2021 return? 

@fluxquantum94

[04/12/22 | 12:07 PM]

[xmasbaby0]

Watch your bank or credit card account.   You will know the IRS has processed your return when you see the amount you owed come out of your account.

[fluxquantum94]

@AkinaLO Thank you for your help. I already got a notice from TurboTax that my return was “accepted.” But I thought it needs to be “processed” before submitting my amended tax electronically through TurboTax. Are they essentially the same status?

[xmasbaby0]

No.   "Accepted" only means they received it and you entered enough information for it to be processed.  It can take several weeks or longer from "acceptance" to be fully processed.    Like when you put a cake in the oven---you have to wait for it to bake.

[bnoakes2]

We're processing return mean

[xmasbaby0]

@bnoakes2 "Processing" means the IRS has your tax return and they are working on it.   "Accepted" only meant that you entered enough data to get it into the system.   The IRS then has to see what you entered---if they approve of the data you entered then they will issue your refund.  Only the IRS controls when the refund will be issued.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

[SweetieJean]

@bnoakes2 Please read all the posts above in this thread.