How long between filing and return being accepted? Still waiting after 2 weeks

Don't panic just yet! The IRS processing timeline can vary quite a bit, especially during the peak of tax season. While many returns are accepted within 24-48 hours, it's not uncommon for it to take 2-3 weeks for status updates to appear, particularly if there's high volume or if the IRS systems are experiencing delays. The "Return Received" status means the IRS has your return in their system, which is good news. The next step would be "Return Accepted" and then eventually "Refund Approved." If you e-filed through TurboTax, you can be reasonably confident your return was transmitted properly. The IRS is just working through their backlog. I'd suggest waiting another week before getting too concerned. If you still don't see movement after 3-4 weeks total, then it might be worth trying to contact the IRS directly or checking if TurboTax has any additional information about your submission.

After struggling with exactly the same issue last year (waited almost 3 weeks just to see "accepted"), I discovered this awesome tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me understand what was happening with my return. It analyzes your tax documents and gives you personalized insights about processing times based on your specific tax situation. I was also super stressed about my refund being stuck, but the tool showed me that my particular combination of credits was likely causing a slight delay but was still within normal processing parameters. It gave me peace of mind knowing there wasn't anything wrong with my return - just normal IRS backlog during busy season. The wait time predictions were spot on too!

Just wanted to follow up - I was skeptical but tried taxr.ai after seeing your comment. Uploaded my return and it immediately flagged that my combination of self-employment income and education credits might be causing a slight delay but was still "within normal parameters" for the current tax season. It estimated acceptance within 17-21 days from filing. Sure enough, exactly 19 days after filing, my return was accepted! The prediction was spot on. Would have saved me so much anxiety if I'd known this was normal timing for my specific tax situation instead of thinking something was wrong. Thanks for the recommendation!

If you're really worried and need to talk to someone at the IRS (which might help your peace of mind), good luck getting through on their phone lines. I spent 3 hours on hold last week before getting disconnected. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an IRS agent in less than 20 minutes. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you once they have an agent on the line. I was super skeptical but you can see how it works in their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed my return was in processing with no issues flagged - just normal delays due to high volume. Having that confirmation directly from the IRS was worth it for my anxiety levels!

I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since my return had been stuck for 3 weeks with no updates. The service actually worked exactly as advertised - I got a call connecting me to an IRS agent after about 45 minutes (instead of the 2+ hours I spent unsuccessfully trying on my own). The agent explained that my return was selected for a routine review because I claimed a home office deduction, but that everything looked good and it should be accepted within 5-7 days. She was right - it was accepted 6 days later. I would have been stressing out for another week without that information! Sometimes it's worth getting the peace of mind of talking to an actual IRS representative instead of just watching the tracker.

When I filed this year, it took 18 days to go from "received" to "accepted" even though in previous years it only took 1-2 days. The IRS is ridiculously backlogged this tax season. I read something about them having staff shortages and computer system issues. Hang in there!

has anyone noticed that sometimes the "wheres my refund" tool doesn't update for days but then suddenly shows accepted and approved on the same day?? happened to me last year, nothing for 3 weeks then boom, money in my bank the next day! the systems dont always sync up right

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed 16 days ago and still stuck on "Return Received." It's so frustrating when you're counting on that money for something important like your car repairs. From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it sounds like the IRS is just swamped this year. I've been checking the "Where's My Refund" tool obsessively (probably not helping my stress levels), but it seems like 2-3 weeks is becoming the new normal instead of the usual few days. The advice about waiting another week before panicking seems solid. I know it's easier said than done when you need the money, but at least we're not alone in this! Fingers crossed both our returns get processed soon. 🤞