Why is the irs taking so long for refunds? This is getting old

[xmasbaby0]

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities.  There is no rule as to which one will come in first or how long it will be between their arrival in your account.

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 2024 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/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/track-state-refund/L3jgO8PGs_...

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/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/refunds-take-longer-others/L1...

.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/irs-refund-taking-longer-21-d...

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 before early March

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

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.

[DoninGA]

Did you e-file your tax return and was it accepted?
Only the IRS and your State control when and if a Federal or State tax refund is Approved and Issued.

You complete your tax return by finishing all 3 Steps in the File section. In Step 3, to e-file your tax return, you must click on the large button labeled "Transmit my returns now".

After completing the File section and e-filing your tax return you will receive two emails from TurboTax. The first email when your tax return was transmitted and the second email when the tax return has either been accepted or rejected.

Note - Once a tax return has been Accepted by the IRS or a State, TurboTax receives no further information concerning the tax return or the status of any tax refund.  Only the taxpayer listed on the tax return can obtain the status of a tax refund or a tax return.

To check the status of an e-filed return, open up your desktop product or log into your TurboTax Online Account. You can find your status within the TurboTax product.
If accepted by the IRS use the federal tax refund website to check the refund status - https://www.irs.gov/refunds

If accepted by the state use this TurboTax support FAQ to check the state tax refund status - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

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

[taxlady28]

In the past the IRS would hire a lot of people at tax time.  We are in a different era in government. Now the IRS is not replacing people who have retired and did not hire any workers for this tax season.  I believe we will no longer get the quick turn around on tax returns with reduced staff.  They do seem to be turning around in the 21 days that is their requirement.

[c4124667295t]

I filed 2 weeks ago. I used a pin. How can I find out if my taxes were approved?

[taxlady28]

Where's My Refund? | Internal Revenue Service

[Two4one]

That's a nice reply but it doesn't answer the question. It is taking much longer than the given average for everyone I know to get their refunds? Why is the IRS slower this year than normal?

[Miss MCJ2]

I believe it is because they have less people working on returns than in past years.

[Klayman2k]

My 21 days came and went. Still waiting…

[crash345u]

last year it took several months and several phone calls for me to get my refund after e filing. The IRS told me my return (along with many others) got "stuck" at one level while processing. It should have been all automated but needed manual interventions to "release" the file. It was extremely frustrating not even knowing for sure why it was held up.

My final phone call fortunately to the exact right person got the return moving. Something tells me that "exact right person" is  probably not there now.

[fanfare]

returns get stiuck because people are too busy looking for a new job to care about your refund.

[bb1379]

mine was e-filed on feb 7 and its march 14 and mine is till showing only accepted. my daughter sent hers in by mail, after mine and has already got her check in the mail back. how do you even talk to anyone at the IRS to ask a question? its been 5 weeks.

[taxlady28]

Only the IRS can tell you what is happening with your return.  The best time to call is 7:00 AM your time.

Individuals
800-829-1040

What do I need if I call the IRS?

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time

[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"?

Why do some refunds take longer than others?

What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days?