While we at TurboTax have no way of finding out specific information about the processing of an individual tax return once it's been transmitted to the government, the activity you observe on the IRS's "Where's My Refund" website sounds normal.
During processing, the government reviews your refund. During the review process, they look for math errors on your return (extremely rare in TurboTax) and they also check if you owe back taxes, unpaid child support, or other debts.
Even though the IRS issues 9 out of 10 tax refunds within 21 days, it's possible your return may require additional review and take longer to process.
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
Also, if you chose direct deposit, your financial institution may need another day or two to post the refund to your account, so keep that in mind.
Finally, please bear in mind that the IRS doesn't always move as fast as taxpayers would like (especially when waiting for a refund). Also taxpayers who report certain items of income (such as self-employment) or certain tax credits (such as dependent care) can experience longer wait times for the IRS to process their original tax return, and ultimately issue a tax refund.
Please see the TurboTax Articles below for more information:
