IRS Shows Only "Accepted" While H&R Block Estimates Feb 18 Refund - Which Status Is Accurate After 2 Weeks?

Tax pro here - always trust the IRS website (WMR) over any third party status. Tax preparers don't have direct access to IRS systems, they're just showing estimated timeframes based on when they transmitted your return.

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im seeing the same thing with jackson hewitt smh these tax companies need to get it together

The IRS website is slower to update than Internet Explorer running on Windows 95 🤡

Check your transcript if you can access it. That'll give you the most detailed info about whats actually happening with your return.

Been dealing with this exact same frustration! Filed through TaxAct and their tracker shows one thing while WMR shows another. From what I've learned, the IRS only updates WMR once daily (usually overnight) and sometimes takes longer during peak season. Your H&R Block Feb 18 date is probably just their estimate based on typical processing times, not actual IRS data. The "accepted" status on WMR means they received it and it passed initial screening - now you're waiting for actual processing. Hang in there, 2-3 weeks is pretty normal right now!

I work at a tax resolution firm and see this confusion all the time. The IRS Where's My Refund tool is the only official source - everything else is just estimates or marketing to keep you engaged with their platform. H&R Block's Feb 18 date is likely based on their internal processing timeline plus a buffer, not actual IRS data. The fact that WMR shows "accepted" is actually good news - it means your return passed all the initial fraud and error checks. Now it's just in the processing queue. During busy season (which we're in), processing can take 2-4 weeks after acceptance. Stay patient and keep checking WMR every few days rather than daily.

Just wanted to add my experience here - filed early this year and had the exact same confusion! TurboTax was showing a completely different timeline than the IRS site. What helped me was remembering that these tax software companies are basically just middlemen. Once they submit your return, they have zero special insight into what the IRS is actually doing with it. Their "estimated refund dates" are just calculated guesses based on average processing times from previous years. The IRS WMR tool pulls from their actual database, so even though it's bare bones and updates slowly, it's showing you real status. Your "accepted" status is actually progress - means you cleared the first hurdle and now you're just waiting in line with everyone else. Hang tight!