My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting

spinlikeflynn — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:00:19 GMT

Wondering what would cause a delay in getting my refund. My sister got hers 5 days after filing.

Re: My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:01:28 GMT

Delay? The IRS only began accepting e-files on Monday January 23. Maybe your sister was accepted in an early "test batch."

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 35a of your 2021 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-problem-should-i-be-worried

OR——if you filed by mail, expect a long wait. It is taking the very backlogged IRS six to nine months to process mailed returns. Until a human opens your envelope and enters the data into the system, nothing will even show up on the refund site, so you will have to be very patient.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3397970-path-act-delayed-refunds-for-some-filers

Re: My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting

spinlikeflynn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:05:45 GMT

@xmasbaby0 Really good point! I had a horror story in the past, so I get nervous easily. 🙂 I won't start sweating yet. Thanks for your response.

topic My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting in After you file

My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting

Re: My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting

Re: My sister filed a week after I did and already got her refund, but I'm still waiting