Why does turbo tax say my refund was accepted and I should receive it by 2/20 but the irs says it hasn’t been approved yet?

[xmasbaby0]

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.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS. 

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

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

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 2023 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://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2580357-who-provides-the-refund-processing-service

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...

If you are getting earned income credit on line 27 or additional child tax credit on line 28 You are subject to the delay required by the PATH act.  Do not expect your refund earlier than late February.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/internal-revenue-service/federal-refunds...

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-return/what-is-the-path-act-and-how-may-it-impact-your-...

[VolvoGirl]

You return efile was Accepted by the IRS for processing.  Accepted doesn't mean Approved.  Now the IRS will process it and then approve your refund.  You have to keep waiting.  

[jmcarte]

same with me. i filed federal on 2/3 and was accepted on 2/3.  The status on "where's my refund" still shows being processed as of 2/17/24 and has not updated to approved yet.  Its never taking this long in the past.

[xmasbaby0]

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.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS. 

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

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

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 2023 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://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2580357-who-provides-the-refund-processing-service

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...

If you are getting earned income credit on line 27 or additional child tax credit on line 28 You are subject to the delay required by the PATH act.  Do not expect your refund earlier than late February.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/internal-revenue-service/federal-refunds...

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-return/what-is-the-path-act-and-how-may-it-impact-your-...

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc152

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/refund-timing

[JohnB5677]

Yes,  The IRS has stated that the typical time to process a tax return is 21 days, but there may be delays for many reasons.

Be sure that your return status is Accepted

• It should not show Pending, or Rejected
• The return will also have to be processed.
• Therefore there may be a time delay between Accepted and issuing the refund.

You will need:

• Social Security Number.
• Tax return year.
• Hilling Status.
• Exact refund amount

 Please click here to enter your information         Check Your Refund .

• However, if you mailed your return and expect a refund, it could take four weeks or more to process your return.
• In addition some tax returns take longer to process than others for many reasons, including when a return:
  • Contains errors or is incomplete
  • Needs further review in general
  • Is affected by identity theft or fraud
  • Was referred to the IRS by the bank due to suspicious activity
  • Includes a claim filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit. See Q&A below.
  • Includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
  • And I'm sure a host of other issues

[Brunoper]

My tax return was accepted February 2nd, yet the IRS says that it was never filed. When I go to my transcript it says that no return was filed. Is this normal? What is going there?

[xmasbaby0]

@Brunoper Instead of looking at your transcript---use the IRS refund site.   That site updates daily, whereas transcripts update only weekly.

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.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS. 

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

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

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 2023 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://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2580357-who-provides-the-refund-processing-service

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...

If you are getting earned income credit on line 27 or additional child tax credit on line 28 You are subject to the delay required by the PATH act.  Do not expect your refund earlier than late February.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/internal-revenue-service/federal-refunds...

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-return/what-is-the-path-act-and-how-may-it-impact-your-...

[aunoram]

Same my i filed and accepted feb 5, but as of right now feb 22 ,it never took that long.i still not received  it nor change the status.still being process .how can i know if theres a problem?

[Cynthiad66]

IRS may have accepted your return for e-filing but have not fully processed it yet.  IRS will contact you if there are problems.  There are several reasons why it may take a long time to process.   Once your return has been accepted by the IRS, TurboTax is no longer involved in the processing. 

Every year, millions of Americans wonder where their tax refund is and why it hasn't yet arrived. Under the PATH Act, all tax refunds that include the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), must be held until mid to late  February of the tax processing year.

You can track your refund status at IRS Refund Status.

@aunoram 

[Sandylove_81]

My turbo tax checked off that my refund was sent out on the 19th of Feb. but I have not yet received it. It has never taken this long.

[JaeB]

Same here! I received an email from TurboTax that my fed return was accepted, then I received another saying it was approved. When I track my status in TT website it says approved with estimated date of 3/11. When I track through the IRS it’s still showing accepted and processing. 

[CatinaT1]

Once your return is filed, TurboTax has no control over the processing of your return or the release of your refund.

Here are a couple FAQs to track your refund:
When will I get my federal tax refund?
How do I track my state refund?
Why does Where's My Refund say "approved" but TurboTax still says "accepted"?

[JaeB]

Then TurboTax needs to stop sending out misleading emails with estimated deposit dates with a Dora the Explorer “Yeah you did it” vibe. I know it’s under the control of the irs, so the only emails TT should be sending out are confirmation emails that they were transmitted and filed. 

[Añon]

Exactly this lol