Will my state and federal tax returns arrive separately? Got partial refund...confused!
So I just filed my taxes for the first time ever using TurboTax. According to their summary page, I'm supposed to get a total refund of $7,125. But I checked my bank account today and only $3,315 was deposited! What's going on?? Did I mess something up or is this normal? I thought everything would come at once, but now I'm wondering if state and federal refunds come separately? I triple-checked all my info and I'm 100% sure I put in the right direct deposit info. Should I be worried that I'm missing almost half of what I was expecting to get back? Really need this money for some bills coming up next month. Has anyone else had this happen? How long should I wait before freaking out about the rest of my refund?
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Zoe Papadakis
Yes, your state and federal tax refunds come separately! This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. The federal refund (which is usually the larger amount) comes from the IRS, while your state refund is processed by your state's tax department - they're two completely different systems. What you received was likely your federal refund, and your state refund should arrive sometime later. The timing varies depending on which state you live in, but state refunds typically take a bit longer to process than federal ones. Some states can take an additional 2-4 weeks after your federal refund arrives. If you want to check the status of your federal refund, you can use the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website. For your state refund, most states have a similar online tracking system on their department of revenue website.
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Jamal Carter
•Is there any way to know for sure which one came through first? I'm in California and filed two weeks ago, got a deposit yesterday but wasn't sure if it was state or federal.
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Zoe Papadakis
•The easiest way to confirm is to look at the deposit description in your bank account - it usually indicates whether it's from the IRS (federal) or your state's tax department. Federal refunds typically say something like "IRS TREAS" followed by "TAX REF" in the transaction description. If you're in California, you can also check your refund status on the Franchise Tax Board website. They have a "Where's My Refund?" tool similar to the IRS one. California refunds typically take a bit longer than federal, especially during peak filing season, so what you received was most likely your federal refund.
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AstroAdventurer
I had the same confusion last year and discovered taxr.ai after I panicked thinking half my refund was missing! I uploaded my tax transcript to https://taxr.ai and it showed me exactly which refund I received and when to expect the other one. It breaks down your entire tax situation in plain language - super helpful for first-time filers.
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Mei Liu
•Does it work for state returns too? I'm still waiting on my Michigan refund and the state website isn't very helpful.
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Liam O'Sullivan
•How secure is it though? Kinda sketchy to upload all your tax info to some random site...
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AstroAdventurer
•Yes, it definitely works for state returns! It analyzes both your federal and state situation and gives you personalized timelines based on current processing speeds in your specific state. Regarding security, I totally had the same concern initially. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. Their privacy policy is really clear about not selling any data either. I was hesitant at first but felt much better after reading about their security measures.
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Mei Liu
Just wanted to update - took the advice about taxr.ai and wow, it actually worked great! Uploaded my docs and found out my federal refund had already been sent (that's what hit my account) and my state refund from Michigan was still being processed due to a "review" flag. It even showed me the estimated date for the state portion. Saved me hours of trying to get through to the state tax department!
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Amara Chukwu
If you're still concerned about your refund, try Claimyr. I was missing part of my refund last year and spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS. Found https://claimyr.com which got me a callback from the IRS in under 2 hours! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Turns out part of my refund was held for verification. The IRS agent I spoke with fixed everything on the spot, and I had my missing money within a week. Wouldn't have known without actually talking to someone.
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Giovanni Conti
•How exactly does this work? I've been calling the IRS for 3 weeks and can't get through!
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
•Sounds like a scam. Why would you pay money to talk to the IRS when you can just keep calling for free?
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Amara Chukwu
•It basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. You don't have to sit on hold for hours - they notify you when they're about to connect you with an IRS agent. Saved me a full day of being stuck on hold. Let me be clear - after trying the "free" approach for weeks, I realized my time was worth something too. After 20+ attempts calling myself and never getting through, this was a lifesaver. The IRS gets millions of calls daily, and most people never get through during tax season.
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Fatima Al-Hashimi
Ok I have to eat my words on this one. After another week of failed attempts to reach the IRS, I broke down and tried Claimyr. Got a callback in 90 minutes and turns out there WAS an issue with my return. They had flagged it for identity verification which is why part of my refund was delayed. Agent fixed it while I was on the phone. Would have never known without actually speaking to someone. Should be getting the rest of my refund next week!
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NeonNova
Don't forget you can also check your tax transcript on the IRS website for free - it shows when refunds are issued. Here's what to look for: Code 846 = Refund issued Code 570 = Refund hold Code 971 = Notice issued This might show if there are issues holding up part of your refund.
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Andre Rousseau
•Thanks for this! Just checked my transcript and I see code 846 for the amount I already received, but there's a code 570 with tomorrow's date. Does that mean they're still reviewing something?
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NeonNova
•That 570 code typically indicates that there's a hold or freeze on part of your refund. Since it has tomorrow's date, it likely means they're in the process of reviewing something on your return. It's fairly common, especially for first-time filers or if there's anything unusual about your return. If you see a 971 code appear in the next few days, that means they're sending you a notice explaining what's going on. Most holds resolve automatically within 2-3 weeks, but if you're concerned, that's when calling the IRS would make sense.
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Dylan Campbell
Last year my refund was split because I had a student loan offset. Could that be what happened to you? They take part of your refund to pay federal debts before sending the rest.
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Sofia Hernandez
•This happened to me too! $1800 went to my defaulted student loan and I only got the remainder. Check if you have any federal debts.
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Sarah Ali
Hey Andre! This is totally normal - you're not missing any money, don't worry! Federal and state refunds are processed completely separately. What you received ($3,315) was most likely your federal refund from the IRS, and your state refund should arrive in the next few weeks. The timing can vary a lot depending on your state. Some states process refunds pretty quickly after the federal one, while others can take 4-6 weeks longer, especially during busy tax season. Since you mentioned this is your first time filing, here's a quick tip: you can track both refunds separately. Use the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool for your federal refund status, and check your state's department of revenue website for the state refund tracker. Most states have their own version of this tool. Also, when your state refund does arrive, the deposit description will usually show it's from your state tax department rather than "IRS TREAS" like the federal one. Hope this helps ease your mind - you should get the rest of your refund soon!
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Ravi Sharma
•This is such great advice, Sarah! As someone who also panicked during my first tax season, I can confirm this is exactly right. I remember frantically checking my bank account multiple times thinking TurboTax had made an error. One thing I'd add for Andre is that even within the federal system, sometimes they process different parts of your refund separately if you claimed certain credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit. These can sometimes be held for additional verification and released a bit later than the main refund portion. But yeah, the most likely scenario is that you got your federal portion and your state refund is still processing. California took almost 5 weeks for mine last year, so definitely don't stress if it takes a while!
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