Why does irs website say it hasn’t been approved on my tax return but turbo tax does

[DoninGA]

TurboTax shows the federal tax return as Accepted, not Approved.  The IRS website will indicate Received if it has the tax return with a tax refund in their system.

Approved means the IRS has reviewed the tax return and approved the tax refund on the tax return.

[xmasbaby0]

Look again.  TurboTax never tells you that your refund was approved.  TT only tells you if your e-file was "accepted".   Accepted and approved are not the same thing.

Note:  “Accepted” is not the same as “approved”.  TurboTax tells you the e-file was accepted if the IRS deems that there is enough information on the return for them to take it in for processing.   Only the IRS can approve of the refund, which is a later stage of processing.  If the IRS approves your refund they will provide a date for the refund to be issued.

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 35a of your 2025 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds