You will receive a message either by text or email, whichever you choose, telling you that your return has been accepted by the IRS. When you get this message, you will know that your return has gotten to the IRS.
You can also visit the IRS Where's My Refund page to check the status a few days after it is accepted.
How long does it take the IRS to send the email or text confirming receipt of my tax return?
It is usually within the hour that you will receive an email from TurboTax confirming the return has been received. If your mail service puts it in the spam folder, you can also see the status by logging into TurboTax.
After receiving the return, the IRS checks against some things in their records, such as name, social security number, and date of birth information from the Social Security Administration. Then they will formally accept the return or reject it with codes that describe what needs to be modified for it to be accepted. This can happen quickly or sometimes takes a couple of days.
State returns want to confirm the federal is accepted before they accept a return, as so much information comes from the federal return. If they are filed simultaneously, they will wait until the federal is accepted before they accept the state return.