CassLO
Intuit Alumni

After you file

Correct, if the IRS needs additional information, they will send you a letter. What does the IRS Where’s My Federal Refund? site show? If your return is processing, during this time 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. 

If they need to make any corrections, they may offset (reduce) your refund. In some cases, the correction might even increase your refund.

Once that part's done, the government approves your refund, which means it's ready to be deposited or sent. At that point the IRS site will update with a direct deposit date. 

The general timeline of e-filed returns is: Transmission > Acceptance > Processing > Approval > Refund.

Please see the link below for more information:

What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days? - TurboTax Support Video

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