As usual, I did my taxes this year with Taxslayer* and just hit the “Submit” button for the eFile of my taxes.
About 10 minutes later, I got notification that the IRS accepted my return and would be sending me my refund. When checking, they are saying “refunds should be sent within 21 days” - so that is not bad. However, in the past they have been faster than they usually claim.
It used to take a day or two to get the IRS confirmation of acceptance - but wow, 10 minutes?!
*Disclaimer: I do not work for, nor do I know anyone who does work for, Taxslayer. I started using them about 10 years ago (or more?) and have been very happy with them. Easy to fill out - even with a VERY complicated tax filing like mine, with mortgage payments, medical deductions, other income and all the deductions. I am sure any other tax preparation site is probably just as good.
I used HR Block’s Taxcut program and was told the same thing WRT taking up to 21 days. They provided an explanation saying that the government shutdown last year had slowed the IRS down in some way and that the IRS wouldn’t even start accepting e-filed returns until January 31st, where in past years I’ve been able to e-file mid January.
I did both of our taxes over a week ago and also got confirmation from Turbotax within 10 minutes that they had been accepted but wouldn’t be processed until the 31st. On the 31st we both got emails telling us our refunds would be direct deposited by the 21st.
Last time they told me 21 days, it took 25. The time before that they said 21 days and it took 5.
I haven’t even gotten my T4 yet. I usually file around the end of February or the first week of March, especially since the RRSP deadline is around there.
I did my taxes on the 28th and they were accepted on the 31st. I looked on the IRS website today and it said my refund would by deposited on the 6th. That’s the fastest it’s ever been.
A mere 8 minutes after I made that joke of a post above, the IRS accepted my return. Someone’s burning the midnight oil! (Or more likely they have really good hamsters)
I get a response pretty much as soon as I submit my online tax return (uk). Perhaps it’s easier because most people don’t have to submit tax returns here, only those registered as self-employed.
Not sure what “accepted” means in the IRS context, but up here I get a confirmation number back from Revenue Canada as soon as I submit my taxes electronically. Then in past years about 10 days later my refund got direct deposited.
That’s what it means here, too. The IRS has free e-filing (you don’t have to buy TurboTax, you just have to read the instructions for filing a 1040), but it’s finicky. The software rejects returns for things you would expect it to be tolerant of, like entering zeros instead of blanks, and the rejection e-mail lists the reasons in software code instead of English. But, after a few tries and consulting with the look-up table, mine’s in too. The Massachusetts state software is much easier to use, and has a nice running total of your debt/refund on the side.
I still haven’t gotten all my paperwork in, or at least I hadn’t when I last checked last week.
While I like to fill everything out early, I typically don’t file until the last minute because I try to owe money. Paying later means I can front-weight IRA contributions, etc. I did screw up with a job change recently and ended up getting a $1000 combined state and local refund :smack:. I should know better by now.
I used to pen-and-paper it, but as ElvisL1ves mentions, the IRS has fillable forms for those who don’t qualify for free software assistance (>$58k AGI, IIRC.)
Accepted in this context means essentially the same thing as the number you get. In the US, we have a DCN (Declaration Control Number) assigned when we file, but that’s generated on the user end. The ACK from the IRS is what tell us that the transmission was received.
It used to take a few hours to a day to get this ACK and thanks to Modernized E-file now takes only a few minutes, as the OP described.
It is worth noting that the IRS hasn’t processed the return at the time of their ACK. They’re just letting you know the transmission was received. The actual processing is part of the wait time before refunds are issued.
I used TurboTax and got my federal acceptance within 10 minutes and my state acceptance a couple hours later.
The cats have already spent most of the return. Its like they know not only when I am expecting a little extra money, but almost to the penny how much, and plan their illnesses accordingly.
No fair! I had mine sitting on H&R Block’s servers since the 16th. It got accepted early by the IRS on the 28th, and it’s still just saying “received” with the 21 day estimate. Dangit.
The good news is that our taxes ( state and federal ) are done for us by KPMG. The bad news is that they usually file an extension due to the complications of working overseas, so refunds might not show up until September.
