Mailed my tax return weeks ago but IRS portal still shows not processed - help!

Paper returns are taking a very long time to process this filing season. The IRS is still catching up from previous years and paper returns go into a physical processing queue that's much slower than electronic filing. For paper returns mailed this year, you're looking at a minimum of 6-8 weeks before they even show up in the system, and often 12+ weeks before processing is complete. The "Where's My Refund" tool won't show anything until they've at least entered your return into their system, which hasn't happened yet. Since you sent it certified mail, you at least have proof they received it. The best thing you can do right now is continue to be patient. If it's been more than 8 weeks since they received it and still nothing shows in the system, then you might want to consider other options for checking on your return status.

I went through this exact same issue last year with my paper return. The IRS website kept saying "not processed" for months and I was pulling my hair out! Then I found https://taxr.ai and it was a game changer. They have this tool that analyzes your filing status and gives you a much more detailed explanation of where your return might be in the process than the vague IRS portal. It showed me that my return was likely in the processing queue but hadn't been manually entered yet, which the IRS site doesn't tell you. It also gave me a more realistic timeline based on current processing speeds (which was longer than I hoped, but at least I had real info). Plus they have document scanning that can check for any potential flags that might cause delays.

Just wanted to update my situation - I tried that taxr.ai site after asking about my amended return, and wow, it was actually super helpful! They showed me that my return was likely in the "pre-processing" stage, which explains why the IRS tool wasn't showing anything yet. They also identified that because I had a specific tax credit, my return would likely take an additional 2-3 weeks. The best part was I could stop obsessively checking the IRS site since I now had a realistic timeline. Their explanation about how paper returns move through different physical processing centers made so much sense! They even gave me tips about what to watch for and when I should actually start worrying if nothing changes. Definitely worth checking out if you're in limbo with the IRS.

For those of you stuck waiting for the IRS to process your return, another option worth considering is https://claimyr.com - I was in the same position last filing season, paper return, no updates for 9 weeks, and couldn't get through on the IRS phone lines. Claimyr basically saves your place in line with the IRS phone system and calls you back when an agent is about to be available. I was skeptical at first, but I was desperate after trying to call for weeks. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got through to an IRS agent, they were able to see that my return had actually been received but had been placed in a different processing queue due to a minor issue that needed manual review. At least I knew what was happening instead of being completely in the dark!

I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After waiting another two weeks with no update on my return status, I broke down and tried the service. It actually worked exactly as described - I got a call back in about 37 minutes (way faster than I expected), and was connected directly to an IRS agent. The agent told me my return had been received but was flagged for manual review because I had entered my SSN with dashes on the paper form (apparently that causes their scanning system issues). This small detail would have kept my return in limbo for potentially months longer! The agent was able to expedite it since it was such a minor issue. Without getting through on the phone, I would never have known what the problem was. Already seeing movement on my return status now.

Has anyone tried just going to a local IRS office in person? I know you need an appointment but wondering if that might be faster than waiting for them to process paper returns or spending hours on the phone.

For what it's worth, I mailed my return around mid-March and it took almost 10 weeks before it showed up as "received" on the IRS website. Then another 3 weeks before I got my refund. Paper processing is just incredibly slow right now. If you have proof they received it, you're probably fine - just stuck in the waiting game like the rest of us paper filers. One tip: I've found that checking the IRS account portal (not just Where's My Refund) sometimes shows updates faster. You'll need to create an ID.me account if you haven't already, but it gives more detailed info.

I'm dealing with a similar situation - mailed my return 6 weeks ago and still showing "not processed." After reading through all these responses, it sounds like we're all just stuck in the same slow paper processing queue. The advice about waiting at least 8 weeks before really worrying seems consistent with what everyone is experiencing. I'm going to try setting up that ID.me account to check the IRS portal for more detailed info, and if I still don't see any movement by the 10-week mark, I might try one of those callback services to actually speak with an agent. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know this delay is normal (even if frustrating) and not something specific to my return!

I'm also dealing with this exact same issue - mailed my return about 4 weeks ago and the IRS portal shows nothing. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and frustrating at the same time. It's good to know this is normal for paper returns right now, but man, the wait is stressful when you're expecting a refund! I think I'm going to try the ID.me account setup that a few people mentioned to see if I can get better visibility into the process. The 8-week waiting period before calling seems to be the consensus here, so I'll try to be patient until then. One thing I'm wondering - for those who eventually got through to an IRS agent, were they able to give you any tips on avoiding processing delays in the future? I'm definitely planning to e-file next year, but curious if there are other common paper filing mistakes that cause delays.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Mailed my return about 6 weeks ago and the "Where's My Refund" tool still shows nothing. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really comforting - I was starting to think something had gone wrong with my return specifically. It sounds like the 6-8 week timeframe before anything even shows up in the system is pretty standard for paper returns this year. I'm definitely going to try setting up that ID.me account to see if I can get more detailed information than the basic "Where's My Refund" tool provides. For next year, I'm absolutely e-filing - I had no idea paper returns would take this long! I chose to mail mine because I thought it would be "safer" than filing online, but clearly that was a mistake. Live and learn, I guess. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines and experiences - it's really helpful to know this delay is normal even though it's incredibly frustrating when you're waiting for your refund!

I'm in the same boat as many of you - mailed my paper return about 7 weeks ago and still seeing "Return Not Processed" on the IRS portal. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm feeling a lot more reassured that this is just the reality of paper processing times right now rather than something being wrong with my specific return. The consistent timeline everyone is sharing (6-8 weeks just to show up in the system, then several more weeks for actual processing) is really helpful to know. I'm going to follow the advice here and set up an ID.me account to see if I can get more detailed status information, and I'll wait until the 8-week mark before trying to call the IRS. One question for those who have been through this process - once your return finally showed as "received" in the system, how much longer did it take to actually get processed and for your refund to be issued? Trying to set realistic expectations for my timeline. And yes, definitely e-filing next year - lesson learned the hard way about paper returns!

I'm dealing with this exact situation too - mailed my return about 6 weeks ago and the IRS portal still shows nothing. This thread has been incredibly reassuring because I was starting to panic that my return got lost in the mail or something went wrong. The consistent 8-12 week timeline everyone is sharing for paper returns is really helpful to know, even though it's much longer than I expected. I'm definitely going to try setting up that ID.me account to get better visibility into the process, and I'll wait until the 8-week mark before attempting to call the IRS. For those who mentioned the callback services and tracking tools - has anyone compared them to see which one gives the most accurate information? I'm considering trying one if I don't see any movement by week 8, but want to make sure I'm using a legitimate service. And yes, absolutely e-filing next year! I chose paper because I thought it was more secure, but clearly didn't realize the trade-off would be months of anxiety. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really comforting to know we're all in the same slow processing queue together!

I'm in almost the exact same situation - mailed my paper return about 6 weeks ago and still showing "Return Not Processed" on the IRS portal. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! I was starting to think my return got lost or there was some major issue. The consistent 8-12 week timeline everyone is sharing for paper returns is way longer than I expected, but at least now I have realistic expectations instead of obsessively checking the portal every day. I'm definitely going to set up that ID.me account this week to see if I can get more detailed status information. I'm also really interested in trying that taxr.ai tool that several people mentioned - it sounds like it might give better predictions about where my return is in the queue than the basic IRS portal. And if I still don't see any movement by the 8-week mark, I might try the Claimyr callback service to actually speak with an IRS representative. Thanks to everyone for sharing your timelines and experiences - it's made this stressful waiting period much more manageable knowing we're all dealing with the same delays. Definitely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year! The "security" of mailing a paper return isn't worth months of anxiety.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Mailed my paper return about 7 weeks ago and still getting that dreaded "Return Not Processed" message. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was starting to think the IRS lost my return or something was seriously wrong. The 8-12 week timeline everyone is sharing is much longer than I ever expected, but at least now I have realistic expectations instead of frantically checking the portal multiple times a day. I'm definitely going to set up that ID.me account this week to see if I can get more detailed information than the basic "Where's My Refund" tool. I'm also really interested in trying some of the tools people mentioned here, especially the taxr.ai one for better timeline predictions. If I don't see any movement by week 9 or 10, I might try the Claimyr callback service to actually get through to a human at the IRS. Thanks to everyone for sharing your timelines and experiences - it's made this incredibly stressful waiting period so much more manageable knowing we're all stuck in the same slow processing queue. I've definitely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year! I thought mailing was "safer" but the months of anxiety aren't worth it.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation - mailed my return about 5 weeks ago and the IRS portal keeps showing "Return Not Processed." Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! I was starting to panic that my return got lost or there was some issue with my filing. The consistent 8-12 week timeline that everyone is sharing for paper returns is way longer than I expected, but at least now I have realistic expectations instead of checking that portal obsessively every day. I'm definitely going to set up the ID.me account to get better visibility into the process. I'm also considering trying that taxr.ai tool that several people mentioned for better timeline predictions, and maybe the Claimyr callback service if I don't see any movement by the 8-week mark. It's frustrating that we're all stuck in this slow processing queue, but knowing it's completely normal for paper filers this year makes the wait much more bearable. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and timelines - it's made this stressful situation so much more manageable. Definitely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year! I thought paper returns were "safer" but the months of anxiety aren't worth it.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just hit the 6-week mark since I mailed my paper return and that "Return Not Processed" message is driving me crazy. This thread has been incredibly helpful though - I was starting to think my return got lost in the mail or something went horribly wrong. The consistent 8-12 week timeline everyone is sharing is way longer than I ever imagined for paper returns. I honestly thought it would be maybe 4-6 weeks max! I'm definitely going to set up that ID.me account this week to see if I can get more detailed information than the basic IRS portal provides. I'm also really interested in trying that taxr.ai tool that several people mentioned - it sounds like it could give much better insights into where my return actually is in the processing queue instead of just that unhelpful "not processed" status. And if I still don't see any movement by the 8-week mark, I might try the Claimyr callback service to actually speak with someone at the IRS. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and timelines - knowing that we're all stuck in this same slow processing nightmare makes it so much more bearable! I've definitely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year. I chose paper because I thought it was "more secure" but the months of anxiety definitely aren't worth it.

I'm in the exact same situation - mailed my paper return about 4 weeks ago and that "Return Not Processed" status has been haunting me! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief because I was starting to think the IRS lost my return or I made some critical error. The 8-12 week timeline that everyone keeps mentioning is honestly shocking - I had no idea paper returns would take this long just to show up in their system. I'm definitely going to set up that ID.me account this week to see if I can get more detailed information than just that vague "not processed" message that's been taunting me. I'm also really interested in trying the taxr.ai tool that several people have recommended for better timeline predictions. It sounds like it might give some actual insight into where our returns are in the processing queue instead of leaving us completely in the dark. If I still don't see any movement by the 8-week mark, I'll probably try that Claimyr callback service too. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences - knowing that we're all stuck in this same incredibly slow processing nightmare makes the wait so much more bearable! I've definitely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year. I thought mailing was "safer" but months of anxiety checking that portal obsessively really isn't worth it.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Mailed my return about 5 weeks ago and have been checking that IRS portal daily with no updates. This thread has been incredibly reassuring - I was genuinely starting to panic that my return got lost or I made some major filing error. The consistent 8-12 week timeline everyone is sharing is way longer than I ever expected for paper returns. I honestly thought we'd see some kind of acknowledgment within 2-3 weeks! I'm definitely going to set up that ID.me account this week to see if I can get more detailed status information. I'm also planning to try the taxr.ai tool that several people mentioned for better timeline predictions. It sounds like it could provide actual insights into where our returns are in the processing queue instead of just that frustrating "not processed" status that tells us absolutely nothing. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and timelines - knowing that we're all stuck in this same incredibly slow processing situation makes the wait so much more manageable. I've absolutely learned my lesson about e-filing for next year! I chose paper thinking it was more secure, but the months of anxiety definitely aren't worth it.