Illinois State Tax Refund stuck in "Cannot Process Without Additional Review" status for 8 weeks - No letter received yet

I work with tax returns professionally, and this is quite common with Illinois returns this year. The IL Department of Revenue has been conducting more rigorous identity verification on returns. The message you received is their standard holding pattern while they review your return internally. Typically, they may ask for: 1) Verification of identity (copy of driver's license or state ID) 2) Verification of income (W-2s, 1099s) 3) Proof of Illinois residency 4) Verification of dependents if you claimed any The most important thing: DO NOT send anything until you receive their letter. They're very specific about this because unsolicited documents can actually flag your return for additional review. Many of my clients who received this message eventually got their refunds without ever being asked for documentation - the system just needed more time to verify. Keep checking your mail and be patient.

I went through this exact situation last month and spent so much time trying to understand what was happening with my Illinois refund. Found this new tool called taxr.ai that helped me understand exactly what was going on with my return. It analyzed everything and gave me a clear explanation of where things were stuck in the process. Saved me from endless googling and guesswork. The insights were seriously helpful - apparently my employer had submitted a slightly different W-2 amount than what I reported. I used it to prepare what I needed when I finally got the letter from Illinois. Highly recommend checking it out at https://taxr.ai instead of going crazy trying to figure it out yourself.

After dealing with this same message for THREE MONTHS last year, I found a way to actually get a human being on the phone at the IL Dept of Revenue. Used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that somehow navigates the phone systems and gets you a callback from an actual agent. It was genuinely worth every penny because the agent was able to tell me exactly what was going on - turns out they needed proof of my property tax credit but never sent the letter! Got everything resolved in one call after months of waiting.

This exact thing happened to me last year. Turns out they flagged my return because I had moved mid-year and they wanted to verify I wasn't claiming residency in multiple states. Never got a letter though! After 16 weeks I called and they told me everything was fine and the refund would be processed soon. Got it 2 weeks later. IL is just slow af.

The IL Dept of Revenue is a total disaster this year. They're using some new automated verification system that's flagging legitimate returns left and right. A close friend works there and says they're completely overwhelmed with backlogged reviews. My advice: be patient, but if it goes beyond 12 weeks, start calling.

When I got this message, it was because I had a discrepancy with my reported income. One of my W2s had been reported to IL with a different amount than what I put on my return (employer error). They never sent me a letter either, I had to call and sit on hold for 3 hours to find out. Try calling (800) 732-8866 and be prepared to wait forever.

quick tip: sometimes these letters get lost in the mail or look like junk mail. check ALL your mail carefully. my wife almost threw away an important IL DOR letter because it looked like credit card junk mail.

Don't wait for them! After 6 weeks I got tired of waiting and called them directly. The rep told me they never even sent a letter even though their system said they did! Apparently there was a glitch in their mailing system. I had to verify my identity over the phone and upload documents to their portal. Got my refund 2 weeks later.

This is exactly why I stopped getting refunds and instead adjust my withholding so I break even or owe a tiny amount each year. The government holds onto your money all year, then makes you jump through hoops to get your own money back! 😡

Have you checked if you created an online account with IL Department of Revenue? Sometimes they send electronic notices there instead of physical mail. Go to mytax.illinois.gov and see if there's anything in your messages or correspondence section.

I finally just got my IL refund after having this message for 11 weeks! Never got a letter, never got a request for info, it just randomly processed. The system is broken but hang in there.

Anyone else notice this seems to happen more with larger refunds? When I was getting back just $300 it processed in a week. This year my refund was $2100 and I got this same message and waited 15 weeks! I think they hold the big refunds longer on purpose.

I've used a service called taxr.ai to help with confusing tax situations like this. https://taxr.ai gives you a complete breakdown of what's happening with your return and explains the potential issues in plain English. Saved me weeks of confusion when my return was held up for 'additional review' that never seemed to happen. Turns out I had mis-reported some investment income and they flagged it for review.

Have you checked whether you have any past-due debts to Illinois? They'll hold your refund if you have unpaid parking tickets, toll violations, child support, etc. without telling you that's why.

I was stuck in this same status last year. I ended up getting through to a live person at the IL Dept of Revenue by using Claimyr (claimyr.com). The agent told me they were verifying my identity because of some suspicious returns filed with similar info (attempt at identity theft). Talking to an agent got it resolved in minutes after waiting for months. Best money I've spent - the relief of knowing what was going on was worth it.

Same boat. 9 weeks waiting on IL. Called yesterday and was told it's under "standard review" which apparently can take up to 120 DAYS. They refused to tell me what they're reviewing or if they need anything from me. The whole system is a joke.

I tried calling them every day for 2 weeks straight. Could never get through. Finally used Claimyr.com and got a callback within 30 minutes. The agent told me they had sent a letter that never arrived asking for proof of my property tax payments. Uploaded the docs on the spot and had my refund a week later. The IL phone system is impossible without help.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - 7 weeks and counting with that same "additional review" message. It's so frustrating because they tell you not to contact them but then give you zero information about what's actually happening. From reading all these responses, it sounds like this is unfortunately very common this year. The patterns I'm seeing are: - Most people eventually get their refunds without ever receiving a letter (8-16 weeks seems typical) - Common reasons include identity verification, income discrepancies, or residency questions - The IL system is apparently overwhelmed and understaffed I'm going to wait until the 12-week mark like @Jacinda Yu suggested before trying to call. In the meantime, I'll keep checking my mail carefully and maybe look into some of these services people mentioned if I get desperate enough. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this mess!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now - 10 weeks and counting with that "additional review" message. It's maddening because the IL Department of Revenue website gives you absolutely no useful information beyond telling you to wait for a letter that may never come. What I've learned from calling around and talking to other people is that Illinois has been having major issues with their new fraud detection system this year. It's flagging tons of legitimate returns for manual review, but they don't have enough staff to actually review them in a timely manner. A few things that might help while you wait: - Double-check that your address is exactly correct in their system (sometimes letters get lost due to formatting differences) - Make sure you haven't moved recently without updating your address with them - If you used any credits or deductions that were new for you this year, that might have triggered the review I'm planning to wait until the 12-week mark before calling, based on what the tax professional said earlier. Hang in there - from everything I've read, most people do eventually get their refunds even without ever receiving that mysterious letter they keep mentioning.

I'm in the exact same situation - filed in early April and have been stuck with that "additional review" message for 9 weeks now. It's reassuring to read all these experiences and know this is unfortunately very common this year with Illinois returns. Based on what everyone's shared here, it sounds like the key takeaways are: - Wait it out until at least 12 weeks before calling (most people seem to get resolved between 8-16 weeks) - Don't send any documents unless specifically requested in writing - The IL system is overwhelmed and their fraud detection is flagging legitimate returns The most frustrating part is the complete lack of transparency - they basically tell you "we're reviewing something but we won't tell you what, and maybe we'll send you a letter but maybe we won't." It's like being in tax purgatory. I'm going to follow the advice here and wait until the 12-week mark before trying to call. At least now I know I'm not alone in dealing with this mess! Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and outcomes - it really helps to have realistic expectations instead of just wondering if my return disappeared into the void.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now - week 7 with that dreaded "additional review" message. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and honestly a huge relief to know I'm not alone in this mess. What really stands out to me is how consistent the pattern is: legitimate taxpayers getting stuck in this limbo for 8-16 weeks, most never receiving the promised letter, and eventually getting their refunds without any explanation. It's clear that Illinois has a serious systemic problem with their review process this year. The advice from @Jacinda Yu about waiting until 12 weeks before calling seems solid based on everyone's timelines. I'm going to stick with that plan rather than waste hours on hold or drive myself crazy checking the status daily. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone tried reaching out to their state representative about these delays? With so many people affected, it seems like this should be getting more attention from elected officials. The lack of transparency and communication from IL DOR is really unacceptable when they're holding onto thousands of dollars of people's money for months without explanation. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines. This thread is going to save a lot of people's sanity!

I'm currently in week 10 with this exact same "additional review" message and honestly, reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and frustrating. Reassuring to know I'm not alone, but frustrating to see how widespread this problem is with Illinois returns this year. What really gets me is the complete lack of transparency - they're essentially holding our money hostage while giving us zero information about what they're actually reviewing or how long it might take. The fact that so many people eventually get their refunds without ever receiving the promised letter makes me think this is more about system overload than actual issues with our returns. I've been religiously checking my mail and the online portal daily, but based on what everyone's shared here, I'm going to try to be more patient and wait until the 12-week mark before calling. The consensus seems to be that calling earlier is just a waste of time. One thing that struck me from reading all these responses is how this seems to disproportionately affect larger refunds. Mine is around $2,800, which fits the pattern several people mentioned. It really does feel like they're using our money to earn interest while we wait months to get what's rightfully ours. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and outcomes - this thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it's probably the most useful information available about this issue anywhere online.

I'm in week 8 with this exact same message and honestly, this thread has been more helpful than anything I've found on the Illinois Department of Revenue website. It's both comforting and maddening to see how many of us are dealing with identical situations. What really strikes me is the pattern everyone's describing - the vague "additional review" message, no actual letter ever arriving, and refunds eventually processing after 8-16 weeks with zero explanation. It's clear this isn't about legitimate issues with our returns but rather a completely overwhelmed system that's using automated delays to manage their workload. My refund is $2,400, which fits the pattern others mentioned about larger amounts being held longer. The conspiracy theory about them earning interest on our money is looking less like a conspiracy and more like standard operating procedure at this point. I'm going to follow the advice here and wait until the 12-week mark before trying to call or use one of those callback services people mentioned. At least now I have realistic expectations instead of wondering if I made some catastrophic error on my return. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines. The Illinois tax system may be broken, but at least we're all suffering through it together! This community support means more than you know when you're dealing with bureaucratic limbo.

I'm currently at week 6 with this exact same "additional review" message and finding this thread has been such a relief! It's incredible how widespread this issue is - clearly Illinois has some serious systemic problems with their tax processing this year. What really stands out to me from reading everyone's experiences is how the timeline seems pretty consistent: most people wait 8-16 weeks, never receive the mysterious letter they keep mentioning, and eventually get their refund without any explanation of what was actually being "reviewed." My refund is $2,100 which definitely fits the pattern others mentioned about larger amounts being held longer. The lack of transparency is what bothers me most. They basically say "we're reviewing something but won't tell you what, and maybe we'll contact you but maybe we won't" - it's like being stuck in bureaucratic purgatory with no way out except waiting indefinitely. Based on everyone's advice here, especially @Jacinda Yu's professional insight, I'm going to wait until the 12-week mark before trying to call or use one of those callback services people mentioned. At least now I have realistic expectations instead of checking the status obsessively every day wondering if I made some terrible mistake on my return. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and outcomes - this community support makes dealing with this mess so much more bearable!

I'm at week 5 with this exact same message and honestly, finding this thread has been such a relief! It's crazy how many of us are dealing with identical situations - definitely confirms this is a widespread Illinois system issue rather than problems with individual returns. My refund is $1,850, which fits right into that pattern everyone's mentioning about larger amounts being held longer. The most frustrating part is their whole "we'll send you a letter if we need something" approach when it seems like most people never actually receive any letter - they just eventually get their refund after months of waiting. What I find particularly annoying is how they specifically tell you NOT to contact them or send additional info, but then provide absolutely zero transparency about what's actually happening or realistic timelines. It's like they want to keep you in the dark while they hold onto your money. Based on all the experiences shared here, I'm going to follow the consensus and wait until the 12-week mark before trying to call or use one of those callback services. At least now I have realistic expectations (8-16 weeks seems to be the norm) instead of refreshing that status page every day hoping for some miracle update. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines - this community support makes dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare so much more manageable! The Illinois tax system may be broken, but at least we're all in this together.