Is anyone experiencing a refund delay with federal taxes?

 
jbriant
New Member

After you file

Mine was accepted March 10. IRS says they are still processing my return

After you file

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/taxes/the-irs-is-behind-in-processing-nearly-7-million-tax-returns-s...

 

 

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.   Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic.  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; they received millions of e-filed on the day they opened for 2020 returns, and now they are burdened with sending out another round of stimulus checks.   

 

 

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.  Some refunds are delayed because of the tax law changes that went into effect recently.   If your return has unemployment or the premium tax credit on it, that may be delaying it.

 

 

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 34of your 2020 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/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901548-why-do-some-refunds-take-longer-than-others

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://www.irs.gov/refunds/tax-season-refund-frequently-asked-questions

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2840013-does-accepted-mean-my-refund-is-approved

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2724106-my-return-is-accepted-but-still-not-approved-is-there-a-pr...

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
KathrynG3
Expert Alumni

After you file

It is difficult to reach the IRS right now, but if it has been longer than 21 days since your return was both accepted (received) and approved create or login in to your IRS account to look for a reason.

 

@xmasbaby0 is correct. You can also try to see why there is such a long delay. To do this, click the link: IRS View Your Tax Account.

The only other thing you could do is to try to get a Taxpayer Advocate. It will require more persistence and patience, though.

For more information, see: When will I get my IRS tax refund?

My return is accepted but still not approved. Is there a problem? Should I be worried?