Will filing tax returns from two different years cause one to take longer to process than the other?
I've been catching up on my taxes and submitted returns for both 2021 and 2022 this year. I got my 2022 refund pretty quickly (filed in early February and got it back around mid-March), but I'm still waiting on my 2021 return which I filed at the same time. It's now late May and nothing yet for the 2021 return. Is this normal? Do older tax returns usually take longer to process? I worked at 4 different places in 2021 but only 2 jobs in 2022, if that matters. Just wondering if I should be concerned about the delay or if this is just how it works when filing for multiple years at once.
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Emma Wilson
When you file tax returns for multiple years at the same time, the IRS generally processes them separately, and yes, prior year returns typically take longer to process than current year returns. This is completely normal! For current year returns (2022 in the 2023 filing season), the IRS has automated systems optimized for processing these efficiently. Prior year returns (like your 2021) often require more manual review and go through a different processing channel. The fact that you had more jobs in 2021 doesn't necessarily affect processing time, but having more forms and documentation might trigger additional verification. The IRS is still working through a backlog from the pandemic years, so older returns are taking longer than they did pre-pandemic. Generally, you can expect prior year returns to take 6-16 weeks to process, while current year returns are often processed in 3-4 weeks if filed electronically.
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Malik Davis
•Do you think it matters if I mailed in my older return instead of e-filing? The tax software I used wouldn't let me e-file a return from 2020 so I had to print and mail it in March. Still waiting...
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Emma Wilson
•Yes, that makes a significant difference. Paper-filed returns take much longer to process than e-filed returns, regardless of which tax year they're for. The IRS has to manually enter all the information from paper returns into their system, which adds considerable time to processing. For paper-filed returns, especially prior year returns, you could be looking at 6 months or even longer for processing in the current environment. The IRS still hasn't fully recovered from their pandemic backlog of paper returns. If you have access to your IRS account online or can call them, you might be able to check the status, but patience is unfortunately needed for paper returns.
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Isabella Santos
I went through something similar last year and nearly went crazy waiting for my older return to process! I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a game-changer. You upload your tax documents and transcripts, and it analyzes everything to tell you exactly what's happening with your returns and if there are any issues causing delays. It saved me weeks of stress wondering if my return was lost or if there was a problem.
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Ravi Gupta
•Does this actually work for prior year returns? I filed 2020, 2021, and 2022 all in January and only got my 2022 refund so far. I'm starting to worry something's wrong with my older returns.
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GalacticGuru
•I'm skeptical about these services. How does it know anything more than what the Where's My Refund tool shows? Does it actually have access to IRS systems?
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Isabella Santos
•Yes, it absolutely works for prior year returns! It pulls data from your IRS transcripts and can show you if your returns have been received, are being processed, or if there are any issues flagged. It's especially helpful when you've filed multiple years because it organizes everything by tax year. It's different from Where's My Refund because it provides much more detailed information. It doesn't just tell you if your refund is approved - it shows the actual processing stages, any holds or reviews, and even helps identify potential reasons for delays. It connects to your IRS transcript data (with your permission of course) rather than just checking the basic refund status. It's like having an interpreter for all that confusing IRS code and terminology.
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Ravi Gupta
Just wanted to update about taxr.ai since I was asking about it earlier. I tried it out and holy crap, it actually showed me that my 2020 return had an issue with verification that wasn't showing up on the Where's My Refund tool! Apparently one of my W-2 amounts didn't match what my employer reported. The website explained exactly what was happening and what I needed to do. Already called the IRS with the specific info from taxr.ai and they confirmed the issue. Saved me weeks or months of waiting for a letter! Definitely worth checking out if you're waiting on multiple returns.
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Freya Pedersen
Hey! I had an almost identical situation earlier this year. After waiting 3 months for my previous year return with zero updates on the IRS website, I tried using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get through to an IRS agent. Their system held my place in the phone queue so I didn't have to waste hours on hold. I was shocked when I actually got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c
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Omar Fawaz
•Wait, how is this possible? The IRS phone lines are impossible to get through. I tried calling 6 times last month and either got disconnected or was on hold for so long I had to hang up. How much does this service cost?
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Chloe Anderson
•This sounds kinda scammy tbh. How would some random service have special access to IRS phone lines when nobody else can get through? I'll stick with waiting on hold myself.
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Freya Pedersen
•It's definitely possible! They use an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. When an agent is about to pick up, you get a call back and are connected. It's not special access - they're just dealing with the hold time so you don't have to. The system works by persistently redialing and navigating the IRS phone system when lines are dropped, which happens all the time. It's basically doing what you'd have to do manually (calling repeatedly, navigating menus, waiting on hold) but automated. I was skeptical too until I tried it and actually spoke with an IRS agent who confirmed my older return was still processing but hadn't been flagged for any issues.
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Chloe Anderson
I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway since I was desperate to find out about my 2019 return (yeah, I was really behind). Not only did I get through to the IRS, but the agent told me my return had been pulled for review and was sitting in a queue. They were able to expedite it since I was experiencing financial hardship. Would NEVER have known this just using the Where's My Refund tool, which just said "processing." Already received my refund last week! Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong lol.
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Diego Vargas
Just a heads up from someone who used to work for a tax preparer - older returns almost always take longer because they don't get prioritized in the system the same way. The IRS focuses resources on current year returns first. Also, if you had any credits like Earned Income Credit on your older return, that can trigger additional reviews that slow things down too.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Do amended returns take even longer? I filed my 2022 return in February but then realized I missed a 1099 so I sent in an amended return in April. Now I'm worried it'll take forever!
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Diego Vargas
•Yes, amended returns typically take significantly longer than original returns. The IRS quotes 16 weeks (about 4 months) as the standard processing time for amended returns, but in reality, they can take 6 months or more depending on current workloads. Amended returns require manual processing and review by an IRS employee, which adds to the time. They're also processed in a completely different department than regular returns. The good news is that if you owed additional tax and paid it with your amended return, you've already fulfilled your tax obligation even while waiting for the processing to complete.
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StarStrider
I filed 2020 & 2021 together back in January (yeah I was really late) and 2021 came in March but 2020 JUST showed up in my account yesterday!! So yeah definitely takes way longer for older years.
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Sean Doyle
•Was your 2020 refund the same amount you expected? I'm waiting on a prior year return too and worried they might adjust it or something because it's so old.
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Jason Brewer
This is totally normal and you shouldn't be concerned! I had almost the exact same situation last year - filed my 2020 and 2021 returns at the same time in early 2022, got my 2021 refund in about 6 weeks but had to wait nearly 5 months for my 2020 return. The IRS processes prior year returns through a different system that's much slower and often requires more manual review. Your 2021 return taking longer than your 2022 return is completely expected. The multiple jobs in 2021 might add a tiny bit of processing time for verification, but it's not a major factor. I'd say if you don't hear anything by August, then consider calling the IRS, but for now you're still well within normal processing timeframes for a prior year return.
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