Filed Through TurboTax on January 26th - No Acceptance Confirmation After 5 Days
I apologize in advance if a question like this has been posted before. I filed my taxes on Friday, January 26th this year. I filed through TurboTax (I've used them in the past) and usually within 24-72 hours I get a text or email that my tax return has been accepted. This year I have not and it's been about 5 business days now. Is this normal? I'm starting to get worried since I'm counting on this refund for some medical expenses for my mom. Checked my IRS account and transcripts aren't available either. In previous years everything was so much faster...
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Asher Levin
The IRS e-file acknowledgment system is experiencing significant latency this filing season. Their Electronic Filing Information System (EFIS) has been throttling acceptance notifications due to unprecedented submission volume. Your return is likely in the transmission queue but hasn't triggered the standard Submission Processing Center (SPC) acknowledgment protocols yet. TurboTax's status should currently show "Transmitted" rather than "Accepted" which is normal at this stage. Wow, I didn't realize how complex the backend systems were until I researched this issue!
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Serene Snow
Think of the IRS processing system like a highway during rush hour. Your return is in traffic, but hasn't reached the toll booth (acceptance) yet. This year the highway is particularly congested. TurboTax sends your return, but the IRS has to process and send back a receipt. Your return is probably fine, just caught in the digital traffic jam that happens every early filing season.
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Issac Nightingale
•That makes sense I guess? But I'm still confused why my friends who filed AFTER me already got their acceptance emails. Is there something specific that might flag my return to take longer? I claimed the same credits as last year, nothing fancy.
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Romeo Barrett
Have you tried contacting TurboTax support directly? They should be able to tell you the exact status of your transmission. If you're really concerned about delays, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly to confirm they've received it. Have you tried calling them? I had a similar issue last year and needed to speak with an agent. After trying for days with no luck, I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got through to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes who confirmed my return was in their system but just hadn't generated the acceptance notification yet. Did TurboTax show any errors when you submitted?
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Marina Hendrix
According to the IRS operational status page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they're currently experiencing higher than normal e-file volumes which is causing processing delays. I've been tracking several tax forums and Reddit threads, and many people filing between Jan 23-29 are reporting delayed acceptance notifications. The IRS Where's My Refund tool won't show anything until your return is actually accepted, so that's not helpful yet. Have you checked your TurboTax account online to see if there are any status updates there?
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Justin Trejo
This is normal this year. System backlog. Happens every January. More filers this week than usual. Your return is probably fine. Check TurboTax transmission status. They'll show if it was rejected. No news is good news. Wait a few more days. Then worry.
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Alana Willis
•I was in the same boat last year when I filed on January 24th. Took almost 9 days to get the acceptance email, but my refund actually came through faster than the year before when I got the acceptance notification right away. The acceptance notification and actual processing speed aren't always correlated in my experience. I remember being really anxious about it too because I was taking care of my dad's medical bills at the time.
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Tyler Murphy
OMG I was freaking out about the EXACT same thing last week! Filed w/ TT on Jan 25th and didn't get the acceptance email until yesterday (Feb 1st). The IRS is super backed up rn. I was worried bc I needed $ for car repairs ASAP. But once it got accepted, my WMR updated the next day and now shows DDD of Feb 8th! So hang in there, you're prob fine. The first batch of refunds always takes longer ime.
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Sara Unger
The acceptance delay doesn't necessarily indicate a problem with your return. IRS processing occurs in batches, and early season returns often face variable timeframes. What matters is whether TurboTax shows a rejection notification. If not, your return is still in process. The transcript unavailability is expected until acceptance occurs. Most importantly, document your submission confirmation from TurboTax as proof of timely filing.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•Is there any impact on processing time based on claiming specific credits? According to Internal Revenue Manual 3.42.5.18.2, certain returns with refundable credits like EITC or ACTC are subject to additional verification steps that can delay acceptance notification. Would this apply in OP's situation?
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Freya Ross
•I believe I should mention that if you filed with dependents or certain credits, your return might be held for additional review. I've seen this happen with several community members I've helped. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just part of the verification process. Maybe check if you claimed any credits that might trigger additional scrutiny?
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Leslie Parker
You might want to check your TurboTax account for any possible rejection notices that perhaps didn't get emailed to you correctly. I had a similar situation last year, and it turned out my return was rejected due to a minor AGI mismatch, but the notification went to my spam folder. If you don't see any rejection notices in your TurboTax account, it's probably still processing, which seems to be taking longer for many people this year from what I've read.
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