State refund already deposited on 3/15 but federal still showing as 'accepted' on TaxAct - what's happening?

This is actually completely normal. State and federal returns are processed by different agencies with different workloads and processes. The IRS (federal) typically takes longer than state tax agencies to process returns. Some factors that might be affecting your federal return processing time: • The IRS is still dealing with a backlog from previous years • Your return might have certain credits (like Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit) that require additional verification • There might be a mismatch between information on your return and information the IRS has • Your return might have been randomly selected for review The standard advice is to wait at least 21 days before getting concerned, but in reality many returns are taking 30-45+ days this year. If it's been more than 8 weeks, you could try calling the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040, but be prepared for long wait times.

I was in the exact same situation and was pulling my hair out trying to figure out what was going on with my federal refund. After weeks of checking the IRS site every day and getting nowhere, a friend recommended I try taxr.ai and it was a game changer! The tool analyzed my transcript and explained exactly why my return was stuck and what to expect next. It was so much better than trying to decode all the cryptic IRS codes myself. Made me feel so much better knowing exactly what was happening instead of wondering. Highly recommend checking it out (https://taxr.ai

After waiting almost two months for my federal refund with no updates, I finally got sick of waiting and used a calling service from claimyr.com that got me through to an actual IRS person! The rep I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what was holding up my return (there was a small discrepancy they needed to verify) and they released my refund right after our call. Had my money 5 days later. After weeks of not being able to get through the regular IRS phone line, this was such a relief. Best decision I've made dealing with this tax season nightmare.

Yup, welcome to tax season 2025! States are way faster than federal. I got my colorado refund in 6 days and my federal took 7 weeks. The irs is just massively backlogged but they usually get to everyones return eventually.

Check your tax transcript on the IRS website if you can access it. It will give you more detailed info than the WMR tool. You'll need to create an account on irs.gov if you don't already have one. The transcript will show any holds or processing codes that might explain the delay.

If ur return has eitc or actc tax credits the IRS wont release ur refund untill mid february at the earliest. Its to prevent fraud. Also there could be an issue with identity verification. I had to verify my identity last year and it added like 6 weeks to my processing time 😑

the IRS is so broken its ridiculous. We shouldnt have to wait months for our OWN MONEY to be returned to us. Other countries have automated tax systems but here we are playing games with the IRS every year 🤡

have you received any letters from the IRS in the mail? sometimes they need additional info but dont update the online status. check your mail carefully and dont ignore anything from them cuz that will delay things even more!

Tbh i wouldn't even worry about it until it's been at least 8 weeks. The IRS is absolutely swamped right now. I know it sucks waiting but unless you get a letter saying there's a problem, just assume it's normal processing delays.

I heard some returns are randomly selected for additional review through something called the income verification program. When that happens they don't tell you about it and it just sits there for weeks until someone looks at it. might be what happened to you?

Same boat. Filed Feb 10, got my NY state refund Feb 28, federal still says "being processed" on WMR. Called the IRS and after 1.5 hours on hold was told "everything looks fine, just keep waiting." SUPER helpful 🙄

One thing to check - did you file electronically or by paper? Paper returns take WAAAAY longer (like 6+ months sometimes). And make sure TaxAct actually transmitted your return successfully - sometimes there can be a glitch where it shows accepted on your end but didn't actually complete the submission process.

Im going through exact sameee thing!!! I filed feb 4, state deposited feb 29, federal still nowhere to be seen 🤬 IRS is a disaster this year

The irs where's my refund tool is basically useless. It shows three stages: return received, refund approved, and refund sent. It stays on the first stage until you're literally about to get your money. There's no visibility into what's happening in between, which is super frustrating.

Ok so I work as a tax prep professional and I'm seeing TONS of delays this year especially with returns that include dependents. The IRS is doing extra verification because of all the pandemic fraud over the last few years. If you have a straightforward return with W-2 income and standard deduction it's usually fast. Anything with business income, credits, or multiple sources of income is taking 6-12 weeks right now.

Try downloading the IRS2Go app. Sometimes it has more updated info than the website. My WMR tool showed nothing but the app showed my direct deposit date.

Uggg I wish I had better news but I filed january 29th (the first day possible) and my federal is still processing. my state came back in february. this is the worst tax season I can remember 😭