State Return Accepted & Paid but Federal Return Still on Hold - Why the Difference?

This is actually pretty common. State and federal returns are processed completely separately by different agencies. States typically have fewer returns to process and simpler verification systems. The IRS handles hundreds of millions of returns and has more extensive fraud detection protocols. Have you checked your transcript for any codes or notices?

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in the same boat bestie 🚣‍♀️ state came quick but feds ghosting me since march smh

Mine was like this last year turned out I had identity verification hold. Took 9 months to get my refund 😭

The IRS is literally running on computers from the 1960s what do you expect 🤡

Check if you claimed any credits like EIC or CTC. Those always take longer to process cause the IRS has to verify everything.

This happened to me too! Filed in January and state refund came in 10 days but federal took 4 months. Turns out I had a code 570 hold on my account for additional review. The key is definitely checking your transcript like others mentioned - it'll show you exactly what's happening. Don't panic though, as long as there's no notice about errors in your return, it's probably just routine verification. The wait is brutal but you'll get it eventually!