Filed my 2024 taxes and still waiting for IRS acceptance - how long is normal?
Filed my taxes through TurboTax on April 12th this year and I'm still waiting for them to be accepted by the IRS. The app says my return was transmitted but nothing else. I'm seeing the same status when I go to the Where's My Refund site - just shows as "received" but not accepted yet. How long did it take for y'all to get your returns accepted? Is this normal or should I be worried? This is day 8 of waiting and I'm getting a little anxious since I'm counting on that money.
45 comments


Diego Mendoza
Tax returns can take anywhere from 24 hours to 3 weeks to be accepted by the IRS. The "accepted" status just means the IRS has officially received your return and begun processing it. Several factors can affect this timeframe: • Filing method (electronic vs. paper) • Time of year (peak season takes longer) • Complexity of your return • Any potential flags or issues Since you filed electronically on April 12th, you're still well within the normal timeframe. The IRS typically processes most electronic returns within 21 days, but acceptance notification can come sooner. I'd recommend continuing to check the Where's My Refund tool every 24 hours - it updates once daily, usually overnight. If you don't see movement by the 21-day mark, then you might want to contact the IRS directly. But for now, this is completely normal processing time, especially given how close you filed to the deadline when their systems are most congested.
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Chloe Wilson
•Thank u for the detailed info, that makes me feel better. I didn't realize the difference between received and accepted status. If it hits 3 weeks I'll definitely call them.
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Anastasia Romanov
•Adding to this - I filed April 9th and just got the acceptance yesterday. So 9 days. Hang tight!
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StellarSurfer
•One thing to note - if you've got any recovery rebate credits, earned income credits, or child tax credits, those can slow things down too. IRS looks at those more carefully.
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Sean Kelly
I was in your exact situation last month! Trying to understand what was happening with my return was making me crazy. I finally used taxr.ai and it was so much better than trying to figure it out on my own. It explained exactly what was happening with my return and why it was taking longer to be accepted. Gave me a clear timeline estimate too instead of having to guess and stress about it. I know it sounds like an ad but I was so relieved to finally understand what was going on instead of just refreshing the IRS site 50 times a day lol. Check it out at https://taxr.ai
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Zara Malik
•Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Sean Kelly
•It actually does way more than just read the transcript. It analyzes everything and translates all that IRS code language into plain english. Shows you exactly where your return is in the process and what's happening with it. It even predicted my refund date correctly to the day which was wild. Honestly a game changer if you're anxious about your tax situation.
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Zara Malik
•Ok that actually sounds amazing! Just tried it and wow - it instantly showed me why my return was stuck in processing (something about a verification hold I had no idea about). 10/10 would recommend to anyone waiting on the IRS!
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Luca Greco
•Do you have to give them all your personal info? Seems sketchy.
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Sean Kelly
•It works through their secure system - you connect it to your IRS account and it just analyzes what's already there. Way better than trying to decode all those transcript codes and status messages yourself. Saved me hours of stress!
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Nia Thompson
I was tired of waiting with no answers so I used this calling app from claimyr.com and got connected to an actual IRS agent in like 20 minutes. Completely bypassed that awful hold system. The agent told me exactly why my return was delayed and fixed it on the spot. I got my acceptance email later that day. Best money I've ever spent to finally get my questions answered instead of being stuck in limbo.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Wait for real? I've been trying to get through to the IRS for weeks. How does that even work???
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Nia Thompson
•Yeah for real. They basically navigate the phone system for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. I was skeptical too but I was desperate after being on hold for 3+ hours myself and getting disconnected. Talking to the agent got my refund moving again within hours.
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Aisha Hussain
•sounds too good to be true. does it actually work or just take ur money? 🤔
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Nia Thompson
•It 100% works. I was stuck in the same boat as OP for almost a month with no movement. The agent I spoke to was able to release my return from the review department. Got my deposit 6 days later. Cant even tell you how much stress it saved me.
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Anastasia Romanov
•This is genius. The IRS phone system is literal hell. Will definitely use this next time I'm banging my head against the wall trying to reach them.
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GalacticGladiator
Dont worry too much. I filed on April 14 (lol cutting it close i know) and mine got accepted yesterday. So like 7 days. The IRS is just really slow right now becuz of how many people file right before the deadline.
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Ethan Brown
8 days is nothing. last year i waited 2 MONTHS for acceptance and 4 months for my refund. The IRS is a joke 🤡
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Yuki Yamamoto
•Same. Last year was a nightmare. My return was "under review" for 11 weeks with zero explanation.
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Carmen Ruiz
•Thats why I always file in February now. Avoid that April rush and get my money faster.
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Andre Lefebvre
Paper or electronic? Makes a huge difference. Paper can take forever. Electronic should be fairly quick but remember there's a difference between "received" (they got it) and "accepted" (they've started processing it). Either way 8 days isnt unusual especially this close to filing deadline.
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Chloe Wilson
•I filed electronically through TurboTax. So sounds like I just need more patience...
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Andre Lefebvre
•Yeah you should be fine. If you start approaching 3-4 weeks with no movement then id start looking into it. But 8 days is totally normal.
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Zoe Dimitriou
I had the EXACT same issue this year! Filed on Apr 9 and didn't get the acceptance until the 19th. But once it was accepted the refund came SUPER fast, like 3 days later. I think they're just backed up with all the last minute filers.
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QuantumQuest
Did you claim any credits? EITC or Child Tax Credit will automatically slow things down because of extra verification steps.
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Chloe Wilson
•No special credits for me, pretty straightforward return.
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Jamal Anderson
My return this year took about 5 days to get accepted, then another 10 days for the refund. But my sisters took almost 3 weeks just to get accepted and she filed before me 😅 There's really no rhyme or reason sometimes.
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Mei Zhang
The IRS is severely understaffed. I've worked in tax prep for 7 years and this season has been particularly slow. If you used direct deposit and filed electronically, you should see your refund within 21 days of acceptance. But the acceptance part can take anywhere from 1-14 days especially in April when their system is overwhelmed.
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Liam McGuire
•This is the correct answer. I also work in tax and can confirm April filers are experiencing longer wait times this year. Still within normal parameters though.
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Mei Zhang
•Yep, and the IRS is actually doing better this year than previous years believe it or not. 2022 was an absolute nightmare with some returns taking 6+ months.
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Amara Eze
Try using taxr.ai - it saved me so much stress by showing exactly where my return was stuck and why. I could literally see what stage of processing it was in and when to expect my refund. WAY better than the vague "processing" status the IRS gives you. Seriously, check it out at https://taxr.ai
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Giovanni Ricci
•Does it actually work? What exactly does it tell you that the IRS doesn't?
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Amara Eze
•It breaks down all those cryptic transcript codes and actually explains what they mean in plain english. Shows you if there are any issues with your return that might delay processing. Also gives you a much more accurate timeline than the IRS site does. It's literally like having a tax pro look over your transcript but automated.
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NeonNomad
8 days is nothing my friend. Last year mine took 14 days to be accepted and then another 7 weeks for the refund. The IRS moves at irs speed 😂
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
Heres a weird tip - check your account transcript on the IRS website (not the refund tool). Sometimes your return is actually accepted but the refund tool doesn't update. The transcript will show processing codes that give you more info.
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Chloe Wilson
•I tried looking at the transcript but I have no idea what all those codes mean. It's so confusing!
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Dylan Mitchell
•Try taxr.ai - it translates all those codes for you. I was completely lost trying to read my transcript until I used it. Made everything super clear.
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Sofia Martinez
Bro I filed in February and still waiting for my REFUND. Consider yourself lucky if you're only 8 days in 💀
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Dmitry Volkov
•Ouch! Did you try calling them? What's the holdup?
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Sofia Martinez
•Been on hold with them like 5 times and always get disconnected after 2+ hours. Finally got through using that claimyr.com service someone else mentioned and found out I'm under some random review. Agent said it should be released in the next couple weeks tho.
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Ava Thompson
If you're worried you can always create an account on the IRS website and check your tax transcript. It'll show if there are any issues with your return. WMR (Where's My Refund) tool is notoriously slow to update.
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Grace Durand
Eight days is totally normal, especially filing so close to the deadline! I filed on April 10th and mine took 12 days to get accepted. The IRS system gets completely swamped in mid-April with all the last-minute filers. Once it does get accepted though, the refund usually comes pretty quick if you chose direct deposit - mine was in my account 5 days after acceptance. The "received" status just means they got your return but haven't started processing it yet. "Accepted" means they've reviewed it and it's moving through their system. Try not to stress too much about it. As long as you don't have any major red flags (like claiming credits you're not eligible for or major calculation errors), you should see movement soon. The 21-day processing timeline doesn't even start until after acceptance, so you've got plenty of time!
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Paolo Rizzo
•Thanks for breaking that down! I didn't realize the 21-day clock doesn't even start until after acceptance. That actually makes me feel a lot better about the timing. Direct deposit is definitely what I chose so hopefully once it gets accepted things will move quickly from there.
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Abigail bergen
Eight days is completely normal! I went through the same anxiety last year when I filed on April 13th. Mine took 11 days to get accepted and I was refreshing the Where's My Refund page constantly thinking something was wrong. The key thing to remember is that "received" just means the IRS got your electronic filing, but "accepted" means they've actually started processing it and verified there are no obvious errors. During peak filing season (especially that last week before the deadline), they get absolutely slammed and everything takes longer. Since you filed through TurboTax electronically, you're in good shape. Paper returns can take months, but e-filed returns like yours typically get processed much faster once they're actually accepted. Just keep checking once a day - the system updates overnight so checking more often won't show anything new. If you hit the 21-day mark from acceptance (not from filing) with no refund, then you can start looking into it. But for now, you're right on track for normal processing times. Hang in there!
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LilMama23
•This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing! I keep catching myself checking the site multiple times a day even though I know it only updates once. It's good to know that 11 days is still normal - makes me feel like I'm not behind schedule or anything. I'll try to be more patient and just check once daily like you suggest. Thanks for the perspective!
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