topic Federal return was accepted on 2/12/2021. The refund of had not yet been deposited. My state refund has been. What is delaying this? in After you file

Federal return was accepted on 2/12/2021. The refund of had not yet been deposited. My state refund has been. What is delaying this?

inkysalad — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 13:41:01 GMT

I have checked the Refund Status tool and still says in progress.

Re: Federal return was accepted on 2/12/2021. The refund of had not yet been deposited. My state ...

ToddL99 — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:03:46 GMT

Unfortunately, you are not alone - a whole lot of people are experiencing the same issue.

If you filed your 2020 taxes and haven't received your refund, your experience is very common - the IRS is encountering major delays in processing 2020 tax returns, and is almost impossible to reach by phone.

Why is this happening? Tax season (normally Jan 1 - Apr 15) is the busiest time of the year for the IRS. This year, they have also had to deal with major changes in the tax law, including ones that were passed retroactively in the past two weeks. They are also struggling with the same COVID workplace and workforce issues the rest of the country has encountered.

According to the Washington Post (Mar 12, 2021):

Nearly 7 million tax filers are in limbo and facing substantial delays in getting refunds so far this tax filing season, as the Internal Revenue Service struggles to keep up with the demands of issuing stimulus checks and implementing myriad tax code changes from coronavirus relief packages, including the one President Biden signed this week.

There are 6.7 million returns that have not yet been processed, more than three times the number in the same period last year, when fewer than 2 million returns faced delayed processing, IRS data shows.

(The IRS Where’s My Refund? site is still the best first place to go for information).

Re: Federal return was accepted on 2/12/2021. The refund of had not yet been deposited. My state ...

lhopkins — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 18:19:12 GMT

Same here. Filed and accepted by IRS on 2/26/2021 and still nothing other than "still processing".

Re: Federal return was accepted on 2/12/2021. The refund of had not yet been deposited. My state ...

LenaH — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 18:24:21 GMT

A lot of taxpayers are in the same situation as you due to the IRS backlog right now. Although The IRS issues most refunds from e-filed returns in about 21 days, some returns take more time to review. In addition, the IRS is processing millions of returns, as well as stimulus checks, and they are doing everything they can to be as prompt as possible.

To find out where your refund is, first check your e-file status. If it's been accepted, you can begin to track your refund at the IRS Where's My Refund? site. You'll need your Social Security number or ITIN, filing status, and the exact amount of your refund to check your status.

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

@Ihopkins