Anyone received Illinois state tax refund yet? Mine says 'received being processed'
I have been waiting for my Illinois state tax refund for some time now. The status shows 'received being processed' when I check online. I filed through a certified tax preparer and triple-checked all my information before submission. Has anyone from Illinois received their state refund yet? If yes, how long did it take for processing? I am curious about whether there are specific delays this year or if it's just my case. In my home country, tax refunds worked very differently, so I'm still learning the system here.
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QuantumLeap
Illinois state refunds are definitely moving slower than federal this year. According to the IL Department of Revenue website (checked on April 15th), they're currently processing returns filed in early March. Their official timeline states up to 4-6 weeks for electronic returns and 8-10 weeks for paper returns. Last year at this time they were about 2 weeks faster in processing. If you e-filed and it's been less than 6 weeks, you're still within normal processing times.
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Malik Johnson
•Thank you for this information! I was getting worried since my federal came back pretty quickly, but my Illinois refund seems to be taking forever. It's good to know there's a different timeline for state returns.
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Isabella Santos
•Do u know if there's any way to check if they need additional info from us? My return's been stuck on the same status for like 3 wks now and I'm wondering if I missed something they sent?
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Ravi Sharma
•This is exactly what I needed to know. I've been tracking processing times for the past three years, and Illinois has consistently lagged behind their published timelines by about 7-10 days during peak season. Appreciate the current status update!
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Emma Wilson
Did you e-file or paper file? And if you don't mind sharing, approximately when did you submit your return? I believe the processing times might vary quite a bit depending on these factors.
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Freya Larsen
•I e-filed my Illinois return on February 12th and received my refund on March 27th. The status showed 'received being processed' for about 5 weeks before changing to 'processed' and then the money was in my account 3 days later. The system seems to update in batches rather than continuously.
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Omar Hassan
•I filed paper in early February and STILL don't have my Illinois refund! Called twice and got nowhere. The second agent told me paper returns are taking 12+ weeks this year. Never doing paper again, what a nightmare. My federal came weeks ago but IL is just sitting on my money.
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Chloe Taylor
•Anyone know if having multiple W-2s affects processing time? I had three jobs last year and my return has been stuck for almost 2 months now. Is this normal or should I be concerned?
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ShadowHunter
Thank you for your questions. Yes, I e-filed on March 2nd through a tax professional. My federal refund was processed and deposited within 10 days, but the Illinois one is still showing as 'received being processed.' I also verified that all my information is correct - address, bank account for direct deposit, etc. I have two W-2s from different employers, if that makes any difference. The amount is not very large, around $850, so I wouldn't expect any special review.
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Diego Ramirez
Illinois is notorious for slow processing compared to other states! I was in the same boat last year and got so frustrated with the "being processed" message that I finally tried calling their helpline. Spent 3 days trying to get through with no luck. A friend recommended Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to get past the phone tree hell. Got connected to an actual human at IL Dept of Revenue in about 15 minutes who confirmed my return was just in the normal queue and nothing was wrong. Saved me weeks of anxiety! 😅
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Anastasia Sokolov
Has anyone tried using the MyTax Illinois portal instead of just the "Where's My Refund" tool? According to mytax.illinois.gov there's supposed to be more detailed information available if you create an account. I'm wondering if it shows different status information than the basic refund checker?
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Sean O'Connor
Illinois state refunds are subject to additional verification procedures this year due to increased fraud prevention measures. The IL Department of Revenue implemented enhanced identity verification protocols that can add 7-14 business days to normal processing times. Additionally, returns claiming certain credits like the Earned Income Credit or Education Credit undergo mandatory review regardless of filing method. The "received being processed" status typically persists until all verification steps are complete, at which point it changes to "processed" approximately 3-5 business days before direct deposit occurs.
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Zara Ahmed
•I remember last year they had similar verification procedures. Do you know if they send any notification if they need additional verification, or do they just silently hold the return until they're satisfied?
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Luca Conti
Are you a first-time filer in Illinois? I've noticed new residents often face longer processing times than people who've filed in the state before.
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ShadowHunter
•Yes, this is my first time filing in Illinois. I moved here from abroad last year in January, so this is my first full tax year in the state. That could explain the additional processing time. Do you know if there's anything specific I should be aware of as a first-time filer?
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QuantumLeap
•First-time filers in Illinois often go through an additional verification layer. Their system compares your information against other state databases to confirm residency. This typically adds about 10-14 days to processing but is a one-time thing. Next year should be faster assuming you use the same name/address/SSN.
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Logan Chiang
•@ShadowHunter Since you're a first-time Illinois filer coming from abroad, make sure your address exactly matches what's on file with the Social Security Administration and your employer's W-2. Any discrepancies can trigger additional manual review. Also, if you claimed the standard deduction, that's usually processed faster than itemized returns for new filers. The good news is once you're in their system this year, future filings should be much smoother!
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