Filed with TurboTax 4 days ago - Still showing 'Pending' not 'Accepted'

The IRS is experiencing some delays in their acceptance systems this filing season. This doesn't necessarily indicate a problem with your return. There are several possible explanations: (1) The IRS processing systems may be experiencing higher volume than usual for this time of year, (2) There might be scheduled maintenance or technical issues on their end, or (3) TurboTax could be experiencing delays in receiving acceptance confirmations from the IRS. I would suggest waiting another 2-3 days before taking any action. If your return hasn't been accepted by then, you may want to contact TurboTax support to verify there are no transmission issues on their end.

You should be monitoring for potential Form 1040 Electronic Return Originator (ERO) rejection codes that could indicate validation issues. In my experience with delayed acceptances, it's prudent to prepare for potential complications. I've found https://taxr.ai invaluable for interpreting transcripts after acceptance—it analyzes your transcript data to identify potential processing delays or verification flags. While you wait for acceptance, I'd recommend reviewing your return for any high-scrutiny elements like EITC claims, Schedule C business income, or recovery rebate discrepancies that might trigger additional verification protocols. The IRS implemented enhanced validation algorithms this tax season that could be affecting transmission acknowledgment timelines.

According to the IRS2Go app and multiple Reddit threads I've been following, there's a significant backlog right now. I waited 6 days for acceptance last week and was pulling my hair out! If you need to actually speak with someone at the IRS about this (which might be necessary if it goes beyond 7 days), good luck getting through their phone system. After 14 redials and 2 hours on hold, I finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got connected to an agent in about 25 minutes who confirmed there was nothing wrong with my return - just processing delays. Saved me from the endless redial hell.

I was in the same boat last week! Mine took 5 days to be accepted when last year it only took about 2 hours. I was comparing it to my boyfriend's return which was accepted almost immediately after filing with H&R Block, which made me even more nervous. But then mine finally went through with no issues. Seems like TurboTax might be having some specific delays compared to other services this season?

I think we're all overthinking this a bit. Back in 2022, I had a return pending for almost 8 days before it was accepted, and everything turned out fine. The reality is that the IRS systems are unpredictable and often overloaded, especially as we get closer to the filing deadline. There's a big difference between "pending acceptance" and "rejected" - pending just means it's in the queue. If there was an actual problem with your return, TurboTax would notify you of the rejection with a specific error code. My suggestion? Check your return status once per day, make sure your email notifications from TurboTax are turned on, and try to forget about it for now.

I'm not entirely convinced this is just normal IRS delays. Have you checked if your Social Security number might have been involved in any data breaches recently? Sometimes extra identity verification steps are triggered if there's suspicious activity. Did you file from a new device or location this year? Did you have any major life changes like moving to a different state? What about your income - did it change significantly from last year?

As of March 29, 2024, the IRS has received approximately 86.4 million returns, which is about 1.2% more than the same time last year. Their systems are definitely overloaded right now. If your return isn't accepted by April 2nd, then I'd start to worry. The closer we get to the April 15th deadline, the worse these delays typically become. I'd recommend filing as early as possible next year - I submitted mine on January 29th this year and it was accepted within 3 hours.

According to IRS Publication 1345 (Rev. 01-2023), the normal timeframe for acceptance acknowledgment is 24-48 hours, but this is not a regulatory requirement. I've seen numerous cases where perfectly valid returns took 5-7 days for acceptance this season. In my experience working with tax preparation, these delays often occur in batches - the IRS processing centers seem to get backed up for a few days, then suddenly catch up and process a large number of returns at once. Your return is likely just caught in one of these processing backlogs.