IRS Transcript Shows "No Return Filed" Despite FreeTaxUSA Acceptance in February 2025 - Head of Household Return Missing

I filed my taxes through FreeTaxUSA and got a message saying IRS accepted my federal return. But when I check my Internal Revenue Service transcript for tax period Dec. 31, 2024, it shows 'RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT'. I filed as Head of Household with dependents this year. I just pulled my account transcript from the IRS website and I'm completely confused. Here's what it shows: Internal Revenue Service United States Department of the Treasury This Product Contains Sensitive Taxpayer Data Account Transcript FORM NUMBER: 1040 TAX PERIOD: Dec. 31, 2024 TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: XXX-XX-7047 ANY MINUS SIGN SHOWN BELOW SIGNIFIES A CREDIT AMOUNT ACCOUNT BALANCE: 0.00 ACCRUED INTEREST: 0.00 AS OF: Feb. 18, 2025 ACCRUED PENALTY: 0.00 AS OF: Feb. 18, 2025 ACCOUNT BALANCE PLUS ACCRUALS (this is not a payoff amount): 0.00 .. INFORMATION FROM THE RETURN OR AS ADJUSTED .. EXEMPTIONS: 00 FILING STATUS: Head of Household ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME: [blank] TAXABLE INCOME: [blank] TAX PER RETURN: [blank] SE TAXABLE INCOME TAXPAYER: [blank] SE TAXABLE INCOME SPOUSE: [blank] TOTAL SELF EMPLOYMENT TAX: [blank] RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS CODE EXPLANATION OF TRANSACTION CYCLE DATE AMOUNT No tax return filed This Product Contains Sensitive Taxpayer Data I'm really freaking out here. The transcript literally says "No tax return filed" and "RETURN NOT PRESENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT" despite FreeTaxUSA telling me my return was accepted. There are no values showing for my adjusted gross income, taxable income, or tax per return - these fields are completely blank. I specifically filed as Head of Household (which does show correctly on the transcript) and claimed my dependents. I was expecting a decent refund this year, and FreeTaxUSA said everything was accepted and processing. Why would my official IRS transcript show no return filed? Does this happen to anyone else during processing? How long should I wait before contacting the IRS about this discrepancy?

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15 comments

Ezra Bates

•10M

The IRS transcript shows your return status as of February 17, 2025, and several key details explain why you're seeing this discrepancy. While your filing status is correctly showing as Head of Household, most fields including adjusted gross income, taxable income, and tax per return are blank with a "RETURN NOT PRESENT" status. This is completely normal during the early processing period. Your account balance, accrued interest, and penalties all show $0.00, which is exactly what we'd expect to see before a return is fully processed. The "No tax return filed" transaction status doesn't mean your return wasn't received - it simply indicates the return is still in the initial processing stage after acceptance. FreeTaxUSA's acceptance message confirms the successful transmission of your return to the IRS, but this is just the first step. The IRS typically takes 2-3 weeks to fully process returns, particularly those with dependents that require additional verification. During this time, it's normal for the transcript to show this "not present" status even though your return has been submitted. The tracking number and your partially masked Social Security number (XXX-XX-7047) on the transcript confirm this is your current year record, so you're looking at the correct information. Continue monitoring your transcript - these fields will populate once the IRS completes their processing.

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Cass Green

•2M

This is totally normal! I went through the exact same panic last year. The "RETURN NOT PRESENT" message doesn't mean your return is lost - it just means the IRS hasn't finished processing it yet. Since you filed as Head of Household with dependents, your return goes through additional verification steps that can take 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer during busy season. The fact that your filing status is showing correctly on the transcript is actually a good sign that your return was received. Keep checking your transcript weekly and you should see those blank fields start populating once processing completes. Don't stress - FreeTaxUSA's acceptance message means you're in the system!

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