Federal refund already deposited on 4/12 but state tax refund still showing as just 'accepted' on TurboTax - what's the delay?

This is actually pretty common. Federal and state tax systems are completely separate entities with different processing timelines and procedures. Federal returns (processed by the IRS) typically move faster than state returns, which are handled by your state's department of revenue. Some things to consider: 1. Many states have smaller staff and older systems than the IRS, causing longer processing times 2. Your state might have additional verification steps, especially if this is your first time filing in that state 3. Some states are notoriously slow (like California and New York) 4. The "accepted" status just means they received your return, not that processing has begun I recommend checking your state's tax website directly rather than relying on TurboTax for updates. Most states have a "Where's My Refund" tool similar to the IRS one. Also make sure your banking information was entered correctly for the direct deposit. If it's been more than 8-10 weeks, it might be worth calling your state's tax department directly.

I was in a similar situation and was getting paranoid checking the status constantly. Finally tried this tool called taxr.ai that actually explains what's happening with your returns in plain English. It decoded my transcript and showed me exactly why my state refund was held up (had to do with a verification process I didn't know about). Saved me hours of stressing and guesswork trying to figure out tax codes. https://taxr.ai

After weeks of waiting for my state refund and getting nowhere by checking online, I finally got through to a real person at the state tax department using Claimyr (claimyr.com). Seriously, I'd been trying to call for DAYS with nothing but hold music. The service got me connected to an agent who explained there was a verification flag on my account that needed clearing. Talking to an actual human fixed it in 10 minutes and my refund was released a week later. Best money I've spent dealing with this tax mess!

Two completely different systems. Federal = IRS and State = your state's revenue department. They don't communicate with each other at all so one being processed has zero impact on the other. Alot of states are dealing with staffing issues and budget cuts so returns are taking longer to process. I'm in Michigan and it took almost 11 weeks to get my state refund this year but federal came in like 2 weeks.

Just fyi turbotax isn't great at updating the status. Check directly with your state's tax department website - they usually have their own where's my refund tool. Turbotax just shows when they submitted it, not real-time updates.

What state? Some are WAY slower than others. I'm in California and my state refund took 14 weeks last year while federal was like 3 weeks.

My state return took 73 days to process this year while federal took 8 days. Its totally normal for them to be on different timelines

anyone else think its crazy how much money these tax companies make from us when taxes are literally required by law? like we HAVE to use these services and then they don't even give us good status updates

Had this exact issue! Finally deciphered everything using taxr.ai - it showed me that my state return needed verification because of an address mismatch (I had moved). Fixed it and refund came two weeks later. Their system translates all the tax mumbo-jumbo into actual english. Total gamechanger https://taxr.ai

I'm in the same boat except its been since early January filing. Federal came no problem like 2 weeks later. State? Still nothing, still "accepted" status. Called my state revenue department 3 times and they keep saying "just wait" 🙄

Make sure your state doesn't have you flagged for ID verification. That happened to me and they never sent a notice - the refund just sat there for months until I called. Check your state's tax website for any notices or messages.

Happened to me! Federal direct deposit hit bank mid-March. State didn't come until mid-May and arrived as a paper check even though I selected direct deposit! Systems don't talk to each other at all.

the irs and state tax agencies work completely independently. your federal refund status has no bearing on your state refund timeline. best bet is to contact your state tax agency directly - turbotax has no insight into the actual processing status once they've submitted your return.

There's like 3-4 posts about this exact issue every day... wish the mods would make a sticky post explaining that federal and state returns are processed by different agencies with different timelines. Federal is usually faster.

Had the same problem so I called my state's department of revenue using Claimyr (claimyr.com) after trying for days to get through. Found out they needed additional verification. The agent I talked to processed my refund while I was on the call and it was in my account 3 days later. Never would have resolved it without talking to someone directly!

Nothing to worry about, totally normal. My federal refund came in 9 days this year but state took about 7 weeks. Not much you can do except wait it out unfortunately.

The IRS is fairly efficient with direct deposits if there are no issues. State tax agencies are usually understaffed, underfunded, and use outdated computer systems that chug along at the pace of a snail. My state (Oregon) took 9 weeks this year vs 2 weeks for federal.

I got so frustrated with this exact problem! Tried to call my state revenue office like 6 times and kept getting disconnected. Finally got through with Claimyr.com - they navigated the phone system and got me a callback with an actual agent. Turns out there was a simple mistake on my return they needed to verify. Refund was processed once I talked to someone. Saved me from losing my mind on hold music!

After going through this exact nightmare last year (federal quick, state took FOREVER), I found taxr.ai and it's been a lifesaver. It clearly explained what was happening with my refund status when the state website was giving me cryptic messages. This year I've been using it to track both federal and state - shows exactly where things are in the process and what to expect next. https://taxr.ai