First Time Tax Filer Stuck in "Return Received" Stage Since Feb 7 - Tax Topic 152 Showing

I just filed my taxes for the first time and it got accepted on February 7th. I'm filing as Single status and when I check sa.www4.irs.gov, the Where's My Refund tool shows "We have received your tax return and it is being processed." When I log into the website, I can see the three-stage tracker showing: - Return Received ✓ - Refund Approved ? - Refund Sent ? Under the first stage, it specifically states: "We have received your tax return and it is being processed. If you filed a complete and accurate tax return, your refund should be issued within 21 days of the received date. However, processing may take longer under certain circumstances." The page also has a section called "Helpful Information" that displays "Tax Topic 152, Refund Information" and shows my filing status as "Single" under "Your personal tax information." The website advises: "Please check here or use our free mobile app, IRS2Go, to check on your refund status." I've been checking both the website and the free IRS2Go mobile app daily, but the status hasn't changed from the processing stage. I'm still stuck on the first stage marked with a check mark while the other two stages have question marks next to them. How often does this status typically update? I'm anxiously checking multiple times a day (sometimes at odd hours like 6:06 when I took this screenshot) but seeing the same message every time. Has anyone experienced this before? Should I be concerned about the Tax Topic 152 message, or is that standard information?

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13 comments

Finnegan Gunn

The image shows you're currently in the first stage ("Return Received") of the three-stage IRS refund process. Your filing status is confirmed as Single, and the system is displaying Tax Topic 152, which is standard for refund-eligible returns. The timestamp (6:06) indicates this is a current status check. The three stages you're seeing are: 1. Return Received (where you are now) 2. Refund Approved (pending) 3. Refund Sent (pending) Since your return was accepted on February 7th, you're still within the standard 21-day processing window. The IRS tool only updates once per day, typically overnight, so checking multiple times throughout the day won't show different results. The "sa.www4.irs.gov" domain confirms you're on the official IRS website, and they've recommended using either this site or their IRS2Go app for status updates. The presence of Tax Topic 152 is actually reassuring - it's a standard notice that appears for most refund-eligible returns and isn't a cause for concern. To avoid unnecessary stress, try limiting your status checks to once per day, preferably in the morning after the overnight update.

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