Federal refund still processing March 2021

[lhorel]

Fed return accepted Feb 16.  IRS tool still show "processing" March 31. Not eligible for stimulus, no unemployment, no kids etc. Regular old return as usual. How far behind are they? And why is it randomly impacting some but not others? 

[LenaH]

It depends. 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. 

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

Also, if you chose direct deposit, your financial institution may need another day or two to post the refund to your account, so keep that in mind.

[lhorel]

Thanks for the answer. Return was same data as usual, no new anything and in the past the turn around was normal. I get that there are delays and I certainly want people to get stimulus money first if that's the case for the delay but the IRS tool just says processing and when  efile accepted and I was notified of that by Turbo I'd expect more info if there was an issue. Feb 16 was 6 weeks ago. 

[LenaH]

Yes, you would receive more information if there was an issue and your returns got rejected. However, once your returns are accepted by the IRS, it is in their hands and we do not have any knowledge of exactly when your refund will be issued.  

You can try to contact the IRS at 800-829-1040. There may be an extended waiting period to speak with a representative, but they will be able to give you more information about what is causing the delay. 

@Ihorel