Tax Return Acceptance Timeframes - How Long Did the IRS Take for You?

The IRS acceptance timeframe varies widely depending on several factors. For electronic returns, you should typically receive an acceptance notification within 24-72 hours. I filed exactly 12 days ago and received my acceptance email in precisely 36 hours. I understand your concern - it's natural to want confirmation that everything's proceeding normally, especially with changes to your tax situation after retirement.

I filed my taxes on February 2nd this year and got my acceptance notification about 18 hours later. Last year it took almost 3 days! The difference was that this year I filed early in the morning on a Tuesday, while last year I filed on a Friday night. I've noticed weekday filings seem to get processed faster than weekend submissions. My return has retirement income too, and that didn't seem to slow down the acceptance part.

I submitted on January 29th, 2024, and received acceptance on January 30th, 2024. My parents filed on February 15th, 2024, and weren't accepted until February 19th, 2024. I appreciate everyone sharing their timelines - it helps see the range of normal experiences. Based on what I'm seeing here, it sounds like you're still within a normal timeframe, especially for this point in tax season.

After waiting 5 days for acceptance with no updates, I tried calling the IRS E-file hotline. Spent 3 hours on hold only to be disconnected. Tried again next day - same result. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to get through to an actual IRS agent who confirmed my return was actually accepted but there was a notification glitch in their Submission Processing System. Without speaking to a live agent, I would've resubmitted and created a duplicate filing nightmare.

What many taxpayers don't realize is that the IRS has multiple processing pipelines running simultaneously. Returns with simple W-2 income follow a different verification path than those with retirement distributions, investment income, or Schedule C business income. Have you checked if your e-file status is actually available through your tax software rather than the IRS site? Many preparers have their own tracking systems that update before the official IRS channels. If it's been more than 5 business days, you might want to contact your tax software's customer service - they can often see if there was a transmission error on their end.

I believe I may have some helpful information for you. The IRS typically processes electronic returns in batches, not continuously. They sometimes... hold returns submitted later in the week until the following Monday or Tuesday. This might explain your delay if you submitted late last week. Additionally, returns with retirement income often require a different verification pathway, though this shouldn't significantly delay the initial acceptance notification. You might want to check if your tax software offers a transmission confirmation separate from the IRS acceptance notification.

I filed my 2023 return electronically about 8 days ago and just received my acceptance notification yesterday morning! Like you, I'm retired now and have a mix of pension distributions and investment income. From what I've experienced, the acceptance timeframe seems pretty consistent regardless of income type - it's more about when you file during the week and how busy their systems are. I'd recommend checking both your tax software's status page AND the IRS Where's My Refund tool, as sometimes one updates before the other. If you're still within 7-10 days of filing, you're probably still in the normal window. The IRS processing seems a bit slower this year compared to last year, but nothing too concerning yet.

I filed my return about 6 days ago and I'm in a similar boat - still waiting for that acceptance notification! Like several others have mentioned, I think this year does seem a bit slower than usual. I've been using TurboTax and checking their status tracker as well as the IRS site. One thing I learned from reading through these comments is that weekday filings seem to process faster, and I unfortunately submitted mine on a Saturday evening. I'm trying not to stress about it since everyone here seems to confirm that 7-10 days is still normal, especially this time of year when the IRS is probably swamped. It's definitely nerve-wracking though when you're used to getting that quick confirmation! Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines - it really helps put things in perspective.

I just went through this same situation! Filed my return electronically 4 days ago and was getting anxious about the lack of acceptance notification, especially since this is my first year filing with solely retirement income (pension and 401k distributions). After reading through everyone's experiences here, I feel much better about the timeline. It sounds like 7-10 days is completely normal, and weekend filings definitely seem to take longer. I used H&R Block's software and have been obsessively checking both their tracker and the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool multiple times daily. One thing I noticed is that their system shows "transmitted successfully" but still waiting on "IRS accepted." Based on what Miguel and others shared about the distinction between transmission and acceptance, I think I just need to be more patient. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines - it's so helpful to know what's actually normal versus what we expect!