Don’t stress! You won’t miss this flight.
Have you ever walked into an airport and realized you and everyone around you seem to be in a rush? Well, tax filers tend to mimic the same anxious energy, especially those trying to figure out their tax refund status.
We understand that like the airport checking luggage-security-shoes-off whirlwind, tax filing is also something you don’t do every day and can be pretty stressful. Actually, filing your taxes is the hardest part though so give yourself a pat on the back, sit back and await your refund.
What status updates should I look out for?
Whether you are a RapidTax customer or not, you’ll probably use the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Before checking your refund status, you’ll want to recognize and know the meaning of the following status updates:
- Return Received or Accepted
- Refund Approved
- Refund Sent
- Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available.
What does Return ‘Received’ or ‘Accepted’ mean?
The IRS updates you with “We have accepted your tax return and it is being processed”. This is solely to update you that your return was successfully received by the IRS. This status update does not mean your return was approved. It simply means the IRS has it and it is in line to be reviewed and processed.
- The Return Received status may remain longer than you were expecting. You may have friends who had this status displayed on their page for only a few days and yours has remained much longer. Don’t panic, it happens.
What does ‘Refund Approved’ mean?
The IRS updates you with ” Your refund has been approved”. This means that your return was processed successfully and the estimated refund amount was approved by the IRS. You’re one step closer to getting that refund!
- This refund status is the second stage of the IRS refund updates and means you have nothing to worry about.
What does ‘Refund Sent’ mean?
Once the IRS updates you that your refund has been sent, the deal is sealed. You should be receiving your refund via check or direct deposit. In most cases, you’ll even be issued an approximate date to expect your money to arrive.
- If you had your tax refund direct deposited, it may take your bank or financial institution 1-5 business days to deposit the tax refund money into your account. If instead, you opted to have your tax refund sent to you in the mail, by check, you should expect to wait much longer.
What does ‘Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available ‘ mean?
Although it may drive you crazy waiting for your refund, this status could just mean that the IRS hasn’t approved your refund as yet and it reviewing your return.
- Most refunds are issued in less than 21 days. Additional review may be the case if you claim credits such as the Additional Child Tax Credit, or Earned Income Credit. This ensures that you’re receiving the correct refund. This process may take longer, but it will change eventually.
What does Tax Topic 152 mean?
If you are using the Where’s My Refund tool and see a generic message accompanied by “Tax Topic 152“, consider this IRS tax jargon. In short, your return is still in the processing stage. Tax Topic 152 is simply a lengthy internet document listing the ways you are able to receive your refund. Although applicable, chances are that by this stage of the game, you’ve already chosen whether or not you’d like a check or direct deposit.
If you notice your tax refund status is not appearing on the IRS tool, be sure you are entering the correct information. If it still doesn’t work, contact your tax preparer.
I had to verify my identity may 8 I did that now refund status is say it’s received n being processed how long do I have to wait till it’s approved n I receive a refund DDD
Once your return is received, the IRS ask that you allow up to 21 days for processing.
I filed my admended return on March 28. They recieved it on the 30th, it is now april and I still cant look it up on wmar . But i called them last friday they said its processing and should have it. Date in 2 weeks, am I really gonna have a date then i need this money
According to the IRS, a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return can take up to 16 weeks to process once it is received. If an IRS agent provided you with a time frame, I suggest you wait this period.
I filed my tax returned on 4/18/17 it got accepted the same day but when i go check my status it says i have to wait 24 hours until they approve it which i got an email already saying the Irs approved already what happens now ?
When your return is e-filed with the IRS they provide you with an acknowledgment within 24-48 hours to indicate whether your return was Accepted. Once accepted, your IRS status will show “Return Received” to indicate “ that they have begun processing your tax return. When the IRS finishes processing your tax return they will provide confirmation of approval with a “Refund Approved” status. Once your refund is disbursed by the IRS, your status will be updated to “Refund Sent”.
I got audited, and I had to do an amendment return. I did it and sent it in and the IRS received it on feb 14 2017 . On April 21 it finally was adjusted and I got a letter on Monday 24 2017 saying “we are pleased to tell you we did not make any changes to the taxes reported on your return. If you are due a refund, we will send it to you within 6 to 8 weeks, provided you have no unpaid accounts or other legal debts we are required to collect”. Well is it really going to take 6 to 8 weeks for the IRS to send a check to me?
Yes, generally, the IRS processing time for paper-filed returns is 6-8 weeks.
Hi, I mailed my paper return documents on March 24, it’s been four weeks and the status on Where is my refund is still “We cannot provide any information about your refund. Be sure to: verify your filing date; check with your tax preparer.” It’s not six weeks yet so I can’t call the IRS yet, but I’m a little bit worried that my mail is lost, because the tracking to the mail did not show “delivered” and the post office says it might just be delivered without being scanned and told me to wait…What should I do now?
It’s best if you confirm with the IRS within around a weeks time when you initially mail out your return, to ensure that your forms were received by them. Once they have confirmed that they have received your tax documents, that is when your peace of mind to wait 6-8 weeks for them to process your forms begins. You may have to resend your documents and dispute with your post office on the previous mail out.
Hello,
I filed it on Mar 11. Still I see “We cannot provide any information message”. Did you get any update from IRS?
I know this is an old post buybibsm having this exact issue and wondering how yours was resolved