Why is my federal refund taking so long? It's been almost 2 months on the 16th and its still processing.

[StacyChesney]

I was accepted 2/14

[HelenC12]

Per IRS, they have around 12 million tax returns that have been caught in a processing backlog created by the pandemic, which shut down the IRS for a time. Americans should see their refunds in the coming months. "We would hope to be through this backlog by the summer," said IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig.

• Keep checking the IRS Where's My Refund page to see if your refund status has been updated.

Other reasons some returns take longer to process are the following: 

• Perhaps you had a refund offset.
• Includes errors
• Is incomplete
• Is affected by identity theft or fraud
• Includes a claim filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit. See Q&A below.
• Includes a Form 8379, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
• Needs further review in general
• The IRS will contact you by mail when we need more information to process your return.

[Dtrautman]

I electronically filed on February 26 and it says my return is still processing.  My friends filed a week after me and another a month after me and they have already received their refund.  How can I find out what is holding this up.  I did get a message that the Fed accepted it and it indicates still in process.  I would like to speak to someone about this.

[LenaH]

It depends. A lot of taxpayers are in the same situation as you due to the IRS backlog right now. Although The IRS issues most refunds from e-filed returns in about 21 days, some returns take more time to review. In addition, the IRS is processing millions of returns, as well as stimulus checks, and they are doing everything they can to be as prompt as possible. Unfortunately, since the IRS issues your refund, we cannot give you an exact date of when it will be paid. 

For some taxpayers, PATH Act requirements and other identity-protection safeguards implemented by the IRS may account for longer wait times.

Other things that can delay your refund include, but are not limited to:

• Liens, back taxes, or refund offsets
• Errors, inconsistencies, or missing information
• Identity fraud
• Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which can take 11-14 weeks to process

@Dtrautman