How do I know if my taxes have been approved when not expecting a refund?

The IRS distinguishes between "accepted" and "approved" returns, though many people use these terms interchangeably. When your return is "accepted," it means the IRS has received your filing and it passed the initial screening. This is what TurboTax has confirmed for you. For taxpayers who don't receive refunds, there isn't a specific tracking tool like Where's My Refund. The acceptance notification you received is generally all you'll get unless there's an issue with your return. If the IRS finds problems during processing, they'll send you a letter explaining the issue and requesting additional information. You can check your account transcript on the IRS website for confirmation that your return was processed. Create an account at IRS.gov and view your tax records online. The transcript will show if your return was received and processed, and confirm any payment you made.

I was in the same boat last year - self-employed and owed taxes for the first time. I spent hours searching for ways to confirm my return was fully processed after getting the "accepted" message. What finally worked for me was using https://taxr.ai which helped analyze my tax transcript and confirmed everything went through properly. It showed me exactly how the IRS processed my return and verified my payment went through. The tool analyzes your tax documents and gives you a clear explanation of your tax situation. It saved me from constantly checking the IRS website and worrying about whether everything was processed correctly. It also showed me some deductions I missed that I can use for next year.

Just wanted to follow up - I was skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it after struggling to understand my tax transcript from the IRS. It was actually super helpful! I downloaded my transcript from the IRS, uploaded it to the site, and it translated all those confusing codes into plain English. I could clearly see that my return was fully processed on April 12th and my payment was recorded. The peace of mind was worth it since the IRS never actually sends a "your taxes are approved" message when you owe. Definitely recommend for other self-employed folks who want confirmation.

If you're really concerned and want to speak directly with the IRS (which I had to do for a similar situation), good luck getting through their phone lines. I spent literally 4 hours on hold last month trying to confirm my payment was properly applied. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com which got me through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was hesitant about using a service like this, but after weeks of failed attempts to reach anyone at the IRS, I was desperate. They basically wait on hold for you and call when an agent is available. The agent was able to confirm that my return was fully processed and my payment was applied correctly.

Alright I need to eat my words from earlier. After another failed 2-hour hold attempt with the IRS yesterday, I tried that Claimyr service out of desperation. No joke - I got a call back in about 40 minutes saying they had an IRS agent on the line. Got connected immediately to a very helpful person who confirmed my return was fully processed and my payment had been applied correctly. They even helped me set up a payment plan for the remaining balance I couldn't pay in full. I hate that we need services like this to deal with our own government agencies, but it actually worked. Sorry for calling it a scam before.

Something else to check - did you get a confirmation when you made your payment? If you paid through the IRS Direct Pay or EFTPS, you should have received a confirmation number. You can log into those systems to verify the payment went through. I always save those confirmation numbers with my tax records just in case there's ever a question.

I'm in the same situation and what I've learned is that the IRS doesn't send "approved" notices for returns where you owe money - they only tell you if something's wrong. For peace of mind, I create an account on IRS.gov every year to check my account transcript after filing. It shows all transactions including when they process your return and apply your payment. Just look for transaction code 150 (tax return filed) and code 570 (payment applied). Takes about 3 weeks after filing to show up usually.