My tax return was accepted but IRS still shows "Processing" - When will I get my refund?

This is totally normal, especially this time of year when the IRS is processing millions of returns. The "accepted" notification just means the IRS received your return and it passed the initial checks (like having a valid SSN, etc). It doesn't mean they've fully processed it. If you claimed the Earned Income Credit, that's definitely adding time to your processing. The IRS is required by law to hold refunds involving EITC and ACTC until at least mid-February, and then they still need time to process after that hold period. Even though we're in March now, they're still catching up on the backlog. The "Where's My Refund" tool typically updates once a week, usually overnight on weekends. Most people are seeing 21-25 days for processing time this year, and sometimes longer if there are any verification needs. Since you're at 14 days, I'd give it at least another week before getting concerned.

I was in a similar situation last month - accepted but stuck on processing for weeks. I was getting super anxious because I needed the money for car repairs. Someone on another forum recommended I try taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to figure out what might be causing the delay. It's a tool that analyzes your tax transcripts to find potential issues or delays. I was skeptical but gave it a shot. The tool pinpointed that my return was likely selected for additional verification because I had a W-2 and 1099 income reported from the same employer (which was legit but apparently a flag). Once I knew that, I was able to proactively send in documentation instead of waiting for an IRS letter. My refund was approved three days later!

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical comment. I decided to try it since my refund has been "processing" for over 3 weeks despite being accepted. Turns out there was a mismatch between my reported income and what my employer submitted (they made a mistake on my W-2). The tool identified the specific discrepancy code in my transcript that I completely missed when I looked at it myself. I called my employer right away to get a corrected W-2 and then submitted it to the IRS. I wouldn't have known to do this otherwise and probably would have waited weeks for an IRS letter explaining the problem. My refund was approved yesterday - definitely worth checking out if you're stuck in processing limbo like I was.

If you need to talk to someone at the IRS about your refund, good luck getting through on the phone! I spent TWO DAYS trying to get a human being on the line before giving up. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an IRS agent in under 45 minutes. They have a demo video here if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was honestly shocked it worked. The IRS agent told me my return had been flagged for manual review because I had moved to a different state during the tax year. Once I explained everything to the agent, they pushed my return through to the next step. My refund showed up in my account 5 days later.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment about Claimyr. After waiting on hold with the IRS for 3+ hours yesterday and getting disconnected TWICE, I was desperate enough to try anything. Used the Claimyr service this morning and was connected to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes. Turns out my return was on hold because my address didn't match what they had on file (I moved last year). The agent was able to update it right there on the phone and told me my refund should be processed within 2 weeks. Without getting through, I'd probably still be waiting for a letter explaining the problem. It honestly saved me so much frustration.

Keep in mind the IRS is processing a ton of returns right now. My sister filed in early February, was accepted Feb 10, and didn't get her refund until March 15. And she didn't even claim any credits! If you have any unusual circumstances like identity theft in the past, name changes, address changes, or income that doesn't match what employers reported, that can all cause delays too. My advice is to wait at least 30 days from acceptance before panicking.

Does anyone know what happens if your return is "still processing" for more than 45 days? I've heard the IRS pays interest after 45 days, but is that calendar days or business days?

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed on February 28th, accepted March 1st, and it's been stuck on "processing" for almost 3 weeks. I also claimed EITC this year for the first time, so that's probably why it's taking longer. What's really frustrating is that the IRS website doesn't give you any indication of what's actually happening or when you might expect an update. At least with package tracking you get some sense of progress! I've been checking the "Where's My Refund" tool obsessively but I'm going to try to limit myself to once a week like someone mentioned. The waiting is the worst part, especially when you're counting on that money. Hang in there - sounds like 21-25 days is pretty normal this year with the credits we claimed.

I'm in a very similar situation - filed on March 5th, accepted March 6th, and now it's been over two weeks with just "Your tax return is being processed" showing up. I also claimed EITC this year which I hadn't in previous years, so that's definitely adding to the processing time. What's been helpful for me is setting up IRS account online so I can access my tax transcripts. Even though the transcript codes are confusing, at least I can see that my return is in the system and there's some activity happening behind the scenes. The "Where's My Refund" tool is pretty basic and doesn't show the full picture of what's going on. I've also learned from this thread that checking daily doesn't help since it only updates weekly. I'm trying to be patient and give it the full 21+ days that seems to be normal for returns with credits this year. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're counting on that money though - I totally get that feeling!

I'm dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! Filed on March 1st, accepted March 3rd, and it's been 3 weeks of that same "Your tax return is being processed" message with absolutely no progress indicators. I also claimed EITC this year since my income qualified me for it for the first time. Reading through all these comments has been really helpful though - I had no idea that EITC claims automatically add extra processing time for verification. That explains why my coworker who filed the same day already got her refund last week while I'm still waiting. The daily checking obsession is so real! I've probably refreshed that "Where's My Refund" page 50+ times even knowing it only updates weekly. I'm going to try limiting myself to checking just on Sundays from now on to preserve my sanity. It's reassuring to know that 21-25 days seems to be the normal timeframe this year for returns with credits, even though it feels like forever when you're counting on that money. I was starting to worry something was wrong with my return, but sounds like this is just the reality of claiming refundable credits during peak season. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes the wait feel less scary!