Processing Delays

[msgrinnell]

I do taxes for a disabled sibling.  I filed for him back in February and he gets a token refund of a couple hundred dollars.  IRS has been sitting on his return since February.  I check 'Where's my refund" and it's been in 'Processing' state for months and months.   Are they just slow or do I need to try and get in touch with them?   Strangely enough, my state accepted what I filed and they have completed everything.  Maybe they are just assuming IRS is super slow so they just take what I sent them? 

[xmasbaby0]

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities,  There is no rule as to which one will come first or how much time there will be between their arrivals.  Some states process returns quickly and some are very slow.

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.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS. 

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 2024 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/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/track-state-refund/L3jgO8PGs_...

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://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/refunds-take-longer-others/L1...

.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/irs-refund-taking-longer-21-d...

[msgrinnell]

When I check "Where's My Refund" for Federal it's been sitting in 'We are reviewing your refund' state since February.  

[xmasbaby0]

TAX ADVOCATE

See this article for more info on how the Taxpayer Advocate Service works::
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html

https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/

[Opus 17]

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@msgrinnell wrote:

When I check "Where's My Refund" for Federal it's been sitting in 'We are reviewing your refund' state since February.  

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We can't help.

I would start by getting a transcript and seeing if there are any notes on the account.  Then, I would call the IRS and see if customer support can actually help (it's about 50/50 that they will).  Then if that doesn't help I would contact the Taxpayer Advocate.

However, you may have trouble with all 3 of those unless you have proof that you are entitled to speak on your relative's behalf.  You may need to get your relative to fill out and sign the IRS power of attorney form 2848 before the IRS will talk to you about their return.

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-2848

If your relative is not mentally competent to complete a power of attorney, you may need a court to appoint you as their financial representative before the IRS will talk to you.