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.