Why hasn't the IRS accepted my return in over 72 hours? They haven't rejected it yet either

[Mike9241]

if you have actually transmitted your return only the IRS can answer your question

[CatinaT1]

Are you seeing pending in TurboTax? What does it say on the IRS Where's My Refund site?

Please let me know so we can look into this more.

[kgreer830]

I have the same question. I see on the TurboTax dashboard that my return is pending, yet the IRS says they have no record of us. I also logged into my account at the IRS's site, and it says there's no record of filing either. Does this mean the return wasn't submitted after all?

[CatinaT1]

There could be a couple or reasons why you might be experiencing a delay;

1. First, the status might be pending for security reasons. This may be a sign that someone is trying to use your identity to file a tax return. The return has been placed on hold to give you an opportunity to cancel it if it doesn't belong to you. This can take up to 72 hours, after which your return will then be forwarded to the IRS, or if applicable, rejected. If rejected, you can then correct the rejection issue and resubmit. Please see this FAQ for reference.

2. Secondly, there could be a delay if your return has various refundable credits, such as the Earned Income Credit.

Note: Both instances may be applicable. That is, you could have a hold for security reasons first. And additionally for verification of the refundable credits in your return. In this case, delays might extend beyond 72 hours.

You can check that your return was received by the taxing authority  using these instructions: Check the Electronic Postmark of your Return. Pay close attention to the separate lines for Federal and State. They are separate statuses.