IRS accepted my 2023 tax return before the official start date - is this normal?

So I'm a bit confused and excited at the same time. I filed my 2023 federal taxes through TaxAct yesterday and just got an email saying my return was already accepted by the IRS. But I thought January 29th was the official start date when they begin processing returns this year? Last tax season, I filed right on opening day and got my refund exactly 8 days later via direct deposit. This early acceptance has me wondering if I'll get my refund even faster this time around. My refund isn't huge (around $1,850) but I've got some car repairs that I've been putting off that this money would really help with. Has anyone else had their return accepted before the official filing season begins? Is this a good sign for getting a speedy refund or am I getting my hopes up? Trying not to check my bank account every 5 minutes lol.

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19 comments

Abigail bergen

•8M

This is actually more common than you'd think! The IRS typically announces an official start date, but they often begin testing their systems and accepting some early-filed returns before that date. They do this to ensure everything runs smoothly once the floodgates open on the official start date. What's happening is that your return is in their system, but processing might not begin until the official date. That said, being in the queue early is generally a good thing. Since you filed electronically and are getting direct deposit, you're already on the fast track. The IRS typically issues most refunds within 21 days, but many people get them sooner, especially straightforward returns. Last year's 8-day turnaround was fantastic, and you might see something similar this year, but I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be faster just because of the early acceptance.

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Abigail bergen

•8M

They generally just sit in the queue until processing officially begins. The IRS has internal workflows that determine processing order, usually based on various factors including when the return entered their system. Being early doesn't guarantee being first, but it does mean you're at the front of the line when processing starts. Even when processing begins, returns aren't necessarily handled strictly in chronological order. The IRS uses automated systems that may prioritize certain types of returns based on complexity, verification needs, and other factors. But having your return already in their system before the official start date is definitely not a bad position to be in!

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Anderson Prospero

•8M

Just wanted to share my experience with the tax filing process! Last year I was in a similar situation and was super confused about all the verification steps. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to help me understand what was happening with my return status and why it was accepted early but not processed yet. They have this cool feature that explains all the IRS processing statuses in plain English. The tool actually saved me from freaking out when my refund status changed from "accepted" to "still being processed" - apparently that's normal but I was convinced something was wrong! It helped me track the whole process and understood exactly where my return was in the IRS pipeline.

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Anderson Prospero

•8M

It accesses the same data sources but interprets them with more detail. The IRS "Where's My Refund" tool only shows three basic statuses, whereas this tool breaks down what's happening within each status and explains possible reasons for any delays or changes. It's definitely not replacing any IRS data - it just helps you understand what the statuses actually mean in practice and what to expect next. I found it helpful because it gave me more specific timeline predictions based on similar tax situations and explained the normal processing stages rather than just saying "still processing" with no context.

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Toot-n-Mighty

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about that taxr.ai site someone mentioned. I was skeptical about it being useful but decided to try it since my return was accepted but got stuck in processing for a while. It actually showed me exactly why my refund was taking longer than expected - turns out the IRS was verifying my Earned Income Credit claim which apparently happens a lot. The site explained the verification process step by step and showed me a timeline of when I could expect resolution based on current IRS processing patterns. Ended up getting my refund exactly when it predicted. Way better than just staring at the "still processing" message on the IRS site and wondering what was happening!

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Lena Kowalski

•8M

If you're getting anxious about your refund, I totally get it. I was in the same boat last year! After waiting for weeks with no updates, I tried https://claimyr.com to actually get through to a real person at the IRS. Their video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c shows exactly how it works. I was super skeptical at first because I'd literally spent HOURS on hold with the IRS before getting disconnected, but Claimyr got me through to an agent in about 45 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I was facing trying on my own. The IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what was holding up my refund (some verification issue) and how much longer I needed to wait.

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Lena Kowalski

•8M

The service doesn't actually "skip" the IRS queue - it navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold FOR you. When an agent finally picks up, it calls your phone and connects you. So you're still in the same queue as everyone else, but you don't have to personally sit there listening to hold music for hours. It's basically just automating the hold process. You're still waiting the same amount of time that the IRS requires, but you can go about your day instead of being stuck on the phone. That's why it took 45 minutes in my case - that was the actual IRS wait time that day.

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Mei-Ling Chen

•8M

Ok I need to eat my words about that Claimyr service. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to get through to the IRS for DAYS about an issue with my stimulus payment that was affecting my return. It actually worked exactly as advertised. I went about my day and then got a call when an IRS agent was on the line. Explained my issue, got it resolved in about 10 minutes once I was speaking with someone. Saved myself literally hours of frustration. Sometimes being wrong is a good thing lol.

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Sofía Rodríguez

•8M

Nothing particularly complex that I know of. I claimed the standard deduction, had regular W-2 income, and some 1099 interest. The IRS never explained why it was reviewed, but I suspect it might have been because I had changed jobs mid-year and had two W-2s. Sometimes the review is just random too. The frustrating part was that the "Where's My Refund" tool just showed "processing" the entire time with no additional information. I finally called after 6 weeks and was told it was "under review" but that no action was needed from me. The refund just showed up about 2 weeks after that call.

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