Can't find status of federal refund, keeps saying information isn't valid

[nelsonleenet]

Same with State, e-filed via TurboTax and can't find status of any of these via state/federal websites.

[Critter-3]

If you efiled....Was your return Accepted? First double check your efile status here
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

When you efile you get back 2 emails. The first email only confirms the transmission. The second email says if the IRS (or state) Accepted or Rejected your efile.

Then only the IRS can tell you. IRS Where's my refund https://www.irs.gov/refunds/
Make sure you are using the refund amount from your actual federal tax return and not the combined amount Turbo Tax showed you at the end. That was for federal and state combined.  How to get a copy after filing

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-thi...

           

When you log into your account you should also see the status and if it was Accepted or Rejected, Started, Printed, Ready to Mail, etc.  what does it say?

[nelsonleenet]

Thanks for the quick and detailed reply; I did get notification that both state and federal were accepted.  Note that  I filed amendments back in Oct.  I did get the state refund (but I can't check the status if I wanted to).  

The IRS site kept saying it couldn't find anything (it's down for maintenance now).  

[Critter-3]

Well then you know they were filed and not just need to wait ... amended returns are taking more than 4 months to process.  

[VolvoGirl]

Did you wait to amend until the original return was fully processed and you got the first refund?

In normal times it takes up to 16 weeks or more to process an Amended 1040X return.  But these are not normal times.

Sorry the IRS has limited staff due to Covid-19.  They started opening the mail in June that's been stacking up. Back in March the IRS closed their processing centers and stopped processing mailed tax returns.  An IRS spokesperson said that they have about 11 million pieces of unopened mail.  The IRS says....."We’re experiencing delays in processing paper tax returns due to limited staffing. If you already filed a paper return, we will process it in the order we received it."  So it may take longer if you mailed in June or later.   So you have to keep waiting.

See this IRS page for the latest information

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue

Then once they start opening the mail, After 3 weeks you can track it here,    

https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/amended-returns-form-1040-x-/wheres-my-amended-return-1

[nelsonleenet]

I e-filed both original and amended.  

Thanks for the quick replies everyone, I will just wait patiently.

Have a happy holidays!!!!!!!

[nelsonleenet]

Still have not received or seen anything....

[SForrestLO]

This is normal. It can take anywhere from a few days to 3 weeks to update. The IRS began processing returns on 2/12, you may not find a record of it or the website may say that you have put in incorrect information when tracking your federal refund. As your return moves through the system, the status of it will be updated. Continue checking the Where’s My Federal Refund tool for updates. Updates are made daily, usually overnight.

What does pending mean?

Please use this link to track your refund from the IRS. Where's my refund?

Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions Frequently asked questions