IRS Accepted My Return But Received Letter Saying No Tax Return On File - What's The Difference Between Accepted vs Approved?
Just submitted my taxes and got an email saying IRS accepted my return. Does this mean my refund is approved? Or is there more waiting? First time filing myself and I'm confused about the difference between accepted and approved. I'm especially confused because I just received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of the Treasury from PHILADELPHIA, PA 19255-1498 regarding my 1040_SERIES return. The letter states: "Information About the Request We Received. On January 25, 2025, we received a request for verification of non-filing of a tax return. As of the date of this letter, we have no record of a processed tax return for the tax period listed above." This doesn't make sense to me since I just got the acceptance email. Why would they send me a letter saying they have no record of my processed tax return? The letter even includes a number to call (800-829-1040) for questions, but I'm wondering if I should wait since I just filed and got the acceptance email. Is this normal? Does "accepted" just mean they received it but haven't fully "approved" it yet? How long does it typically take to go from "accepted" to "approved" and getting my refund? I'm really confused about the whole process and this contradicting letter isn't helping.
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Daniel White
Tax pro here! 'Accepted' just means the IRS received your return and it passed basic verification (like SSN checks). 'Approved' means they've reviewed everything and okayed your refund. You're just at step 1 - there's still processing time ahead.
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Abigail Patel
•oh man how long does that usually take? 😩
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Daniel White
•Usually 21 days for simple returns, but can be longer if there are credits like EITC or additional review needed
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Nolan Carter
Hey! I've been using taxr.ai to track my refund progress - its like $5 but totally worth it. Upload your transcript and it tells you exactly where you are in the process and when to expect your money. Way better than guessing or checking WMR everyday
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Natalia Stone
•for real? does it actually work? tired of checking wmr like a clown 🤡
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Nolan Carter
•100% legit! It analyzes your transcript way better than we can. Shows all the important dates and explains any delays. Check it out at https://taxr.ai
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Tasia Synder
welcome to the waiting game lol
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Selena Bautista
•fr fr the irs got us all in the same boat 💀
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Mohamed Anderson
Accepted means they got it. still gotta wait for processing and approval. Its like when you submit a job application - they received it but haven't hired you yet
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Ellie Perry
depends on ur return tbh. if its simple might be quick but if u got credits or deductions ur gonna be waiting a min
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Abigail Patel
•just standard w2 nothing fancy
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Ellie Perry
•should be pretty quick then, probably 2-3 weeks
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Landon Morgan
Time to obsessively check WMR every 2 hours like the rest of us 🤣
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Teresa Boyd
•dont forget checking at 3am thinking it updated ðŸ˜
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Malik Davis
That letter you received is likely for a different tax year or was generated before your current return was processed in their system. The timing is suspicious - you just filed and got accepted, but verification letters usually take time to generate and mail. Double-check the tax year mentioned in the letter. If it's for 2024 and you just filed your 2024 return, give it a few more days since there's often a delay between acceptance and when it shows up in all their systems. If you're still concerned, definitely call that 800 number they provided to clarify.
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Justin Chang
•This makes the most sense! I bet the letter is for a different tax year or was already in the mail before my return hit their system. Thanks for the clear explanation - I'll check what year the letter mentions and give it a few more days before calling. Really appreciate the help navigating this confusing process!
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