Why has my return not been processed yet, it has been almost 72 hours and it still is not accepted or rejected by the irs at all. I have never had this issue before.

[JC1000]

replying to daniellehutson

According to my understanding, all the TT acceptance means is that the efiled return has been successfully transmitted to the IRS and accepted for processing--this does not constitute approval of your return/refund by the IRS, just that the return has been accepted for processing and is in line for processing.  The IRS then processes the returns and at that point it is beyond TT control.  Many of us have had problems getting TT to timely transmit our returns to the IRS.   So at least you are ahead of a number of us wrt that issue who couldn't even get to that point without efiling elsewhere or sending in a paper return.  And again, unfortunately the 21 days to process efiled returns by the IRS is not a guarantee, it is only typical/general estimate and the time period generally gets longer as the due date for returns approaches since especially this year people apparently are behind on filing compared to last year according to financial sites.  The IRS appears to be legally obligated to pay interest from the due date of the return after 45 days (not when the return is actually filed if earlier) assuming no issues/errors.  The government without legal basis cannot just permanently keep your refund and the interest rule/statute was apparently enacted to help discourage the government from just holding onto people's refunds indefinitely without legal basis.

I know we are all eager to get our refunds but if there is proof the efiled return is in IRS processing then unfortunately there is likely not much that can be done unless the delay is substantial.  And if the IRS site actually shows your refund has been approved it should also show when the refund has been mailed/deposited.  If that is the case and you haven't seen your refund then you should carefully check electronic deposit information for example as there have been instances where incorrect routing information ended up depositing people's refunds in the wrong accounts.  And if you expect a mailed refund, you might consider signing up for delivery notifications with the USPS because in my experience frequently with all our USPS delivery problems on our rural route we and our neighbors ended up missing important mail fairly frequently (we all have security mailboxes).  We all made numerous complaints for years and it finally turned out after neighbors canvassed the area that our mail was being thrown out by the USPS employee instead of delivering the mail in order to end work early.

And yes the constant bombardment of standard emails from TT with incorrect information about refund status or approval is hugely irritating.  I get such emails about my return and other inapplicable information such as not filing w2s for example--I am retired, I don't have any--almost every day.  Would block but am worried that I might miss an important notice.

You could always try contacting your state senator/congress person which might be more helpful than the IRS but it is likely too early/not enough time has passed for it to be taken up for assistance.  As I indicated, there are a number of financial sites that speculate IRS processing may be slower than normal for a number of reasons.

Sorry you are in this situation along with a lot of us.

[JC1000]

replying to daniellehutson

Just an update on my previous posted reply.

I did find several financial sites indicating that the 21 day estimate by the IRS for efiled returns is calendar days not business days but all sites stressed it is only an estimate for returns with no issues.  BUT a few of the sites also indicated that in the 21 calendar days while auto computer systems line up (ie quene up)  the returns for processing on non business days, no actual processing by IRS employees of returns occurs on non business days such as weekends or holidays (not surprising since most IRS employees probably don't work on weekends or federal holidays).

Not much consolation I know.  Sorry.

[davjaimay4]

Have you gotten any update? If so, how long before it was accepted?

[davjaimay4]

Did it ever update? If so, how long did it take?

[davjaimay4]

Any update?

[JC1000]

replying to davjaimay4

I don't want to jinx myself, but I see my financial institution sent a message tonight that it received notice of a pending deposit from the IRS that is supposed to to happen at the end of the business day tomorrow.

Not sure if this is the result of my paper return or my originally TT efiled return.  After a week of no acceptance through TT and the IRS refund page being unable to locate my efiled return, I gave up and sent in a paper return by overnight mail.  So from when the IRS refund site finally went to pending upon receipt, I think it was close to 2.5 weeks.  

[bradnbridge2919]

I was told that you are never supposed to change the order of the names on a joint return.  I listed myself as first on the return, accidentally, but I know it has to stay that way.  Hopefully my husband is okay with it.  LOL.  

[user5752033]

I have not received any updates. Upon checking the IRS Where’s My Refund page my return still shows it has been received but still has not moved beyond that point. I filed February 9, 2025 and according to another posting above me the IRS said it may take 21 days to process. They said this was calendar days but even if we went by business days March 10 would’ve been the 21st business day after having filed my taxes. Still no change. I have attempted (again) to call using the suggested menu navigation in another post above. I have recorded every call. Ultimately you get through one automated system, it says okay let me connect you with a representative and then chimes to another automated system who then acts like they don’t know why you’re calling all over again. I call the 1-800-829-1040 number and the automated system always says, “next time you have a question about your personal income taxes you should call [phone number removed]” and the only time I got to speak to a (very unhelpful) human she told me the same. Not sure which number they think we’re calling or if they even know how their own phone system works. All in all, a waste of time. The closer we get to April 15 the more I worry and am leaning towards reaching out to a tax advocate in my area to at least see if they have a more comprehensive explanation or insight as to what the hold up is. Wishing you all the best as this process has become much more unreliable and stressful than ever before. 

[user5752033]

I just want to add that calling the IRS tax advocate number may be the best way to move forward if you have not seen any progress after the 21 day mark. I am currently at the 30 day mark. I was able to speak with a representative almost immediately, no automated system just humans, and they’re able to look into the issue - only after the 21 day mark though so please don’t burn out this resource if it is before the 21 day mark. I would attach the number but TurboTax keeps censoring telephone number info but should be the first number that comes up when googled it has a lot of 7’s in it. Hope this helps others!

[JC1000]

replying to daniellehutson

So sorry you are going through all this garbage re your refund.  Thanks for sharing about the tax advocacy office, glad to hear you at least were able to reach someone so quickly and hopefully with their help get your issue resolved ASAP.

Very glad you are documenting your efforts so carefully, unfortunately you never know when you might need to have it for the next step.  Unfortunately my previous experiences with the customer service reps at the IRS are all very negative, long waits, no real help either.  I always ask the customer reps to id themselves and generally they refuse to give a name but they (at least used to be) are required to give their employee id number.  Also, when they cannot help I have asked for a supervisor who may have access to more info/systems than the regular customer service rep, not that that has helped much either.  But the documentation of the efforts paid off when I had to go to next steps.

Here is hoping your refund nightmare is almost at an end!

[JC1000]

replying to bradnbridge2919

Thanks for the tip, good to know for the future.  I can see how changing the order of the names on a joint return could really mess things up since it seems the IRS just automatically designates the first name listed as the primary taxpayer.

And LOL but if you are doing the return then IMO your husband has no right to complain or be upset (not that he is) that you accidently listed your name first and now as you indicated it needs to stay that way to avoid future problems.  After all, you are the one doing all the paperwork!

[Terry007]

I efiled February 7 it didn’t get accept til the 10th. It said my est refund date was march 3rd. I still had no refund. Now it’s half way thru march and I still did not receive my refund. I checked the irs website it doesn’t say I have a notice or anything but it says my return hasn’t been processed in fact it doesn’t show that I filed at all yet this year. It’s almost April I still have no word on when my refund will be processed. When I go to the where’s my refund tool it says they received my return and are reviewing it and if they need anything a notice will be sent if no additional information is needed then they’ll continue to process my return. I just want my money man. I want answers this has never happened to me before. 

[mesquitebean]

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@Terry007 wrote:

I efiled February 7 it didn’t get accept til the 10th. It said my est refund date was march 3rd. I still had no refund. Now it’s half way thru march and I still did not receive my refund. I checked the irs website it doesn’t say I have a notice or anything but it says my return hasn’t been processed in fact it doesn’t show that I filed at all yet this year. It’s almost April I still have no word on when my refund will be processed. When I go to the where’s my refund tool it says they received my return and are reviewing it and if they need anything a notice will be sent if no additional information is needed then they’ll continue to process my return. I just want my money man. I want answers this has never happened to me before. 

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At least you know from the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool that they received it.   Only the IRS will know why they are still processing your return.   You can phone them to see if they can give you any clue to the reason for the delay.   I have found that for me it was best to call just before closing time--about 6:50-6:55 PM (local time) and go through the steps below. I figured a lot of folks would not call that close to closing, and that if I was one of the last to get into the queue, they would finish off all the people who were in the queue at closing time. I still had to wait about 25-30 minutes.   Others in this forum said they had relatively good luck when phoning at 7:00 AM (local time.)

RS:  800-829-1040 (7AM-7 PM local time) Monday-Friday

When calling the IRS do not choose the first choice re: "Refund", or it will send you to an automated phone line.

• First choose your language.  Then listen to each menu before making the selection.
• Then 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 may then ask for your SSN, but do not enter it.  Just wait.    If it asks for SSN a second time, still do not enter it.
• Then it will get "tired", and you'll get another menu.  Choose 2 for "personal".
• Then in the next menu choose 4 for "all other inquiries", and it should transfer you to an agent but expect a long wait.
• I usually use a speakerphone so I can work on something else while waiting.

[Terry007]

So I shouldn’t worry that they haven’t processed my return yet? On my transcripts it says I have a no filer notice for 2024 but I did file my taxes. When I scroll all the way down it doesn’t even show a transcript that I filed for 2024 even though I did. 

I will try calling that number tomorrow thank you. 

[mesquitebean]

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@Terry007 wrote:

So I shouldn’t worry that they haven’t processed my return yet? On my transcripts it says I have a no filer notice for 2024 but I did file my taxes. When I scroll all the way down it doesn’t even show a transcript that I filed for 2024 even though I did. 

I will try calling that number tomorrow thank you. 

---

You're welcome.  Your situation is not uncommon.  While most returns get through processing within 21 days, that still leaves a lot of returns that do not.  Some require additional processing due to specific situations in the return.   Some are pulled at random for more processing.  Sometimes, the IRS will need additional info and could be preparing a letter or notice asking for such, and may leave a message on IRS "Where's My Refund."    The transcript and the WMR tool are not always in sync.  That transcript message should change when it gets to a certain stage of processing.

Are you also saying you see no evidence of last year's 2023 transcript?   Not sure what you mean by "when I scroll all the way down."  In the IRS online account when you first enter the transcript section, you have to specify the type of transcript and the tax year (2023).   If you still can't find it, ask the IRS why.  Are you sure you successfully filed the 2023 return?

In any case, write down all the questions you want to ask the IRS so you don't forget something while you have them on the phone, including anything concerning your 2023 transcript.  Good luck!