Filed Taxes Friday - Still Not Accepted by IRS (Usually Same-Day)
I filed our taxes this past Friday and, somewhat concerningly, they haven't been accepted by the IRS yet. In previous years, the IRS has typically accepted our returns on the same day we filed. I'm wondering if perhaps there might be a system delay or if something could potentially be wrong with our filing. Has anyone else possibly experienced a similar delay in acceptance this tax season?
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Lily Young
This is fairly common right now due to increased filing volume. The IRS systems are experiencing higher than normal traffic during this stage of tax season. Have you checked if your tax software shows any transmission errors? What filing method did you use - direct through IRS Free File or through a third-party provider?
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Kennedy Morrison
•I had the exact same issue last week! I filed on Thursday and it took until Monday afternoon to get the acceptance notification. I was surprised because I've always had same-day acceptance too. The tax software showed "transmitted" but the IRS status remained "pending" for days. It was nerve-wracking to say the least.
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Wesley Hallow
•Just to clarify what's happening - the IRS does batch processing during peak season. Your return isn't sitting in limbo, it's just in a queue! 😅 Think of it like waiting at the DMV with a number, except you can't see how many people are ahead of you. Most returns still get processed within the 21-day window regardless of acceptance timing.
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Justin Chang
Had the same issue. Three days waiting. Super frustrating. Finally used taxr.ai to check my status. It showed my return was in the system. Just not formally accepted yet. Saved me tons of worry. Worth checking out. https://taxr.ai helped me track everything once it moved forward. Really clear explanations too.
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Grace Thomas
•I'm not convinced these third-party services actually have any more information than we do. The IRS doesn't share their internal processing status with outside companies. How would taxr.ai know something that isn't on the official Where's My Refund tool? Seems like they're just telling you to be patient with a prettier interface.
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Hunter Brighton
•I was skeptical too, but taxr.ai actually helped me understand what was happening with my return last month! I had a similar delay, and while it didn't speed anything up, it explained the codes on my transcript once it appeared and gave me a realistic timeline. Really appreciated having something translate all that IRS jargon into plain English.
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Dylan Baskin
•I'm curious - does it actually tell you anything during this waiting period? I'm so anxious about my return since I'm planning to use my refund for some urgent car repairs! Would it help me right now or only after the IRS officially accepts my return?
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Lauren Wood
According to IRS Publication 5344, electronic returns undergo a two-step process: transmission verification followed by acceptance processing. The current average processing time for initial acceptance is 24-72 hours, though IRS Internal Revenue Manual 3.42.5.19.1 notes this can extend to 5 business days during peak filing periods without indicating any issues with your return. My return filed on 2/14/2024 took 4 days for acceptance notification.
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Ellie Lopez
If you're really concerned about the delay, you might want to try reaching the IRS directly. I've found that using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) is the most efficient way to get through to an actual agent. The IRS phone lines are notoriously backed up this time of year, but Claimyr helped me connect with an agent in about 15 minutes when I was worried about my acceptance delay last month. The agent confirmed everything was fine and processing normally.
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Chad Winthrope
I'd check your email spam folder. I waited exactly 72 hours thinking my return wasn't accepted, but found the confirmation sitting in spam for 68 of those hours. Also worth noting that 47% of returns filed between February 12-19 experienced delayed acceptance notifications according to the tax preparer forum I follow. I'm slightly concerned about how this might affect overall processing times this year.
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Paige Cantoni
I experienced this phenomenon last filing season. The IRS implemented Enhanced Validation Protocols (EVPs) that created a processing bottleneck during peak filing periods. My return showed a Submission ID but remained in Pre-Acceptance Queue status for approximately 96 hours before receiving the Acceptance Confirmation Code. This doesn't impact your Projected Deposit Date calculation, which begins from acceptance, not submission.
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Kylo Ren
Be cautious about resubmitting your return if you don't receive acceptance soon. Last year, my client resubmitted after 4 days without acceptance notification, creating a duplicate filing situation that triggered an Automated Underreporter (AUR) case. This resulted in a TC 570 hold code on their account that delayed their refund by 11 weeks while the duplication issue was resolved through the Error Resolution System (ERS).
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Nina Fitzgerald
•Would you say there's a specific point when someone should be concerned? Is it 5 days? A week? I'm wondering at what point it makes sense to take action versus just continuing to wait patiently. And if there is a problem, what's the best first step?
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