I filed my 2019 taxes in April and turbo tax stills has them listed as accepted. Tried to search on the IRS site and they have no info about my return, what should i do?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

Waiting is frustrating—refunds are taking longer in many cases.  These are not normal times.  It is not possible for TurboTax to speed up the IRS for you.   The IRS is short staffed; and they are processing millions of tax returns at the same time that they have been burdened with the task of processing millions of stimulus checks. 

To check on regular tax refund status via automated phone, call 800-829-1954. (This line has no information on Economic Impact Payments.)

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

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.  Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic. 

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 20 of your 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

To call the IRS:IRS:  800-829-1040  hours 7 AM - 7 PM local time Mon-Fri

Listen to each menu before making the selection.

First choose your language. Press 1 for English.

Then do NOT choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

Instead, press 2 for "personal income tax".

Then press 1 for "form, tax history, or payment".  

Then press 3 "for all other questions."

Then press 2 "for all other questions."  It should then transfer you to an agent.

[Carl]

If you e-filed, then you "sould" be able to see the status at www.irs.gov/refunds. Make absolutely certain that you are entering the correct information on that website. Otherwise, it will always find nothing. Where it asks for your refund amount, make sure you are entering the amount of your FEDERAL refund only, and not the combined amount of your federal and state refund (if applicable to you.)

Finally, it is imperative that you download, save and print your 2019 tax return in PDF format. Open the PDF file and search it for "electronic postmark". That is your legal proof that the IRS accepted the return. Without that proof, if the IRS says you never file it, then you lose. You never filed it.

[Yiletir]

hello I have turbotax 2019 return, i downloaded as you said and i couldn't find that "electronic postmark" stated anywhere in that pdf. I got that returned money from IRS even. but when I search on the IRS website, it says "Your 2019 Tax Return Is Not Processed"
how this can be happened? 

[Carl]

If you e-filed your return and your e-filed return was accepted by the IRS, I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that the "electronic postmark" page is there. Hands down. It looks like the below.

[Yiletir]

Thank you so much for your help. One more question, how can I find this paper? Through the turbotax? I downloaded 2019 tax files via turbotax but it wasn’t there. Also, after I find that, should I send it to IRS? 

[Carl]

If you used the online version of Turbotax, you *MUST* download the PDF file, not the .tax2019 file. It's in that PDF file.

If you used the CD version of TurboTax that you installed on your computer, you must first start the program, open the file, and check the status of your return. If that status shows "accepted", then you must save the file as a PDF. When you save it, select to save *EVERYTHING*. Not just the pages required for filing, and not just the pages "for your records". Save EVERYTHING as a PDF. Then you can open that PDF and find it there.