Please clarify if the decedent's Form 1040 was efiled or mailed
The tax professional's interpretation of "all is well" may be that the return was accepted by the Modernized eFile (MEF) system and acknowledge.
Another question for the tax professional is was the refund set for a direct deposit or not. You should know where to expect the refund to be able to assess for yourself if "all is well".
Refunds are normally issued within 21 days for efiled returns.
As the decedent passed before year-end, there is a requirement for a Form 1041 to be filed for 2020.
You are correct that the refund for the decedent cannot be applied to the trust as the trust is a separate entity.
