How long does TaxSlayer normally take to send refund info to IRS? Portal says submitted but nothing on IRS side

I e-filed my taxes through TaxSlayer about 10 days ago, and when I log into their portal it clearly shows "Sent to IRS" status. But when I check the Where's My Refund tool on the IRS website, it still says they have no information about my return. I even tried calling the IRS automated system and it says the same thing - they don't have any record of my return. Is this normal? How long does it typically take for TaxSlayer to actually transmit the return to the IRS after they show "Sent" status on their portal? I'm getting worried because I need that refund soon for some unexpected medical bills. I'm supposed to be getting back around $3,800. Has anyone else experienced a delay between what TaxSlayer shows and when the IRS actually acknowledges receipt? Should I be concerned at this point or just keep waiting?

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19 comments

Tyrone Johnson

•8M

This is actually pretty normal during the peak filing season. There's often a gap between when tax software like TaxSlayer shows "Sent to IRS" and when the IRS actually processes and acknowledges receipt of your return. Several things are happening during this time: TaxSlayer first sends your return to their own processing center, then it gets transmitted to the IRS, then the IRS has to process it through their intake systems before it shows up on Where's My Refund. This whole process typically takes 24-72 hours, but during busy periods (especially February through April), it can take 5-7 business days or even longer. If it's been 10 days and the IRS still doesn't show receipt, I'd give it a few more days before getting concerned. The IRS systems are notoriously backlogged this time of year.

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Tyrone Johnson

•8M

After 14 days, it's reasonable to contact TaxSlayer's customer support to verify the status on their end. They can confirm whether your return was actually transmitted successfully or if there were any issues that might have prevented transmission. If TaxSlayer confirms everything is fine on their end, you might want to try calling the IRS directly (not just the automated system). Sometimes returns get flagged for additional verification that doesn't show up in the automated systems right away.

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Carlos Mendoza

•8M

I was in exactly the same situation last month and discovered TaxSlayer had actually sent my return but there was a weird delay on the IRS side. I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped clear things up - it's like an AI tool that helps analyze your tax transcripts and tell you what's actually happening with your return. I was confused because TaxSlayer said "sent" but nothing was showing up on the IRS site. The taxr.ai system was able to check my IRS transcripts and showed me that my return was actually received but was in a processing queue that wasn't visible on the Where's My Refund tool yet. Saved me a ton of anxiety!

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Carlos Mendoza

•8M

It's actually pretty straightforward - you just need to verify your identity using the same info you'd use on the IRS website. It's secure and they don't store your sensitive data. It just helps you navigate the IRS systems better than you could on your own. It can give you a much more accurate timeline for your refund based on analyzing your actual tax transcript data. It shows processing stages that aren't visible on the regular Where's My Refund tool, so you can see if it's just in a queue or if there's actually an issue that needs addressing.

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Raj Gupta

•8M

I had this exact problem with TaxSlayer last year and it was driving me crazy trying to get answers! After days of trying to call the IRS (impossible to get through), I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent told me that sometimes there's a delay in their system updating the Where's My Refund tool, but my return had actually been received. Turns out it was just sitting in their processing queue but hadn't been "officially" logged in their public-facing systems. The peace of mind was totally worth it rather than waiting and wondering.

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Raj Gupta

•8M

It uses a technology that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they finally get a real IRS agent on the line, you get a call connecting you directly to that agent. It's not magic - they're just using an automated system to handle the hold times so you don't have to. No, it connects you to actual IRS agents - real ones that can access your tax records and everything. It's not a scam or anything. You can literally verify you're talking to the real IRS once you're connected. I was skeptical too until I tried it.

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TechNinja

•8M

I'm eating crow here guys. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try that Claimyr thing out of frustration since my TaxSlayer return has been in limbo for almost 3 weeks. It actually worked! Got connected to a real IRS agent (verified by asking them questions only the IRS would know about my previous returns). Found out my return was received but had been flagged for a manual review because of some education credit I claimed. The agent said this wouldn't have shown up on the Where's My Refund tool for potentially another week or two. At least now I know what's happening instead of just waiting in the dark. Expensive lesson in not being so quick to dismiss things.

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Keisha Thompson

•8M

Most tax software does this to some extent, but TaxSlayer seems particularly bad about it in my experience. TurboTax is slightly better - when they say "sent" it usually shows up in the IRS system within 2-3 days. H&R Block was about the same in my experience. The real issue is that these companies say "sent to IRS" when what they really mean is "sent to our processing center for eventual transmission to the IRS." It's misleading but pretty standard across the industry.

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