Does Accepted mean I'll definitely get my tax refund or could it still be audited?

They never gave me a clear reason for the audit last year. Just got a letter saying they needed to verify some income I reported from a side gig (I drive for Uber sometimes). I had to send in all my documentation again even though I'd already included it with my filing. It was super frustrating because they never explained what the actual problem was. Do you know roughly how long it usually takes to go from "Accepted" to "Approved" if everything's normal? Just trying to get some idea of timeline.

The verification of gig economy income is actually pretty common - the IRS has been focusing on that recently. If you reported everything correctly this year and have good documentation, you're less likely to face the same issue. For a normal timeline without any reviews, most refunds are issued within 21 days of acceptance. However, returns with certain credits (like EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit) face mandatory delays until mid-February by law. The IRS "Where's My Refund" tool should give you a refund date once your return moves to "Approved" status. If 21 days pass without approval, it might be worth checking if there's any issue.

Does it work with all tax software? I used TurboTax this year but I'm always nervous about messing something up. How exactly does it check for audit triggers?

I'm skeptical about these tax checking services. How do you know it's actually using real IRS criteria and not just generic checks? Also do they keep your tax data afterward?

It works regardless of what tax software you used - you just upload your final tax forms before submitting to the IRS. It specifically looks for mismatches between what the IRS has on file and what you're reporting. It also flags unusually high deductions in certain categories compared to your income level, which is one thing that triggers audits. They don't keep your documents after analysis - they explain in their privacy policy that everything is encrypted during review and then deleted. They use actual IRS audit selection criteria that's published in their manuals, along with patterns from thousands of real audits to identify what actually triggers reviews. It's not just making generic checks - it's looking at the specific patterns the IRS uses in their automated systems.

How does that actually work though? I thought the IRS phone system was completely broken. Can this actually get you through faster than just calling repeatedly yourself?

This sounds like BS honestly. Nothing can make the IRS answer their phones faster. They're intentionally understaffed. I've literally never gotten through in less than an hour of hold time.

It uses their callback automation system, but handles all the waiting and redialing for you. When you call the IRS directly, you're competing with thousands of other callers hitting redial. What Claimyr does is continuously dial through their system until they secure a spot in the queue, then they transfer that spot to you. It's not magic - it's just automating the frustrating part. The IRS phone system actually does have capacity - the problem is getting into the queue in the first place. Once you're in line for a callback, it works fine. I was skeptical too until I tried it. I had been trying for days with no luck getting past the "call volume too high" message, but got a callback within about 3 hours using their service. The IRS is understaffed, but they do answer eventually if you can get in the queue.

This is really helpful, thanks! Is there any way to check for the "approved" status, or do they only tell you once the refund is actually sent? The IRS tracker just shows "accepted" with no further details.

The "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website or app will update to show "approved" status once they reach that stage. It will then give you an actual refund date. Some people never see the "approved" status and just go straight to "refund sent" if the processing happens quickly. If you filed electronically with direct deposit and have a simple return, you might see your refund in your account before the tracker even updates. The tool sometimes lags behind the actual processing by a day or two. But if you're at 21+ days since acceptance with no update, that's when you might want to call and check if there's an issue.

Credit Karma (now Cash App Taxes) is reliable. I've used them for 3 years with no issues. Processing time has nothing to do with which software you used - it depends on your return complexity and IRS workload. Check the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool or IRS2Go app for the most current status. If it's only been 3 days since acceptance, just give it time. Most refunds come within 21 days.