Filed February 11, still in processing. How long can IRS legally hold refund? (2024)

FAQs

How long can your tax return stay in processing? ›

We issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. However, if you mailed your return and expect a refund, it could take four weeks or more to process your return. Where's My Refund?

If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.

If the IRS is reviewing your return, the review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing.

Why we hold your refund. By law, we can't issue EITC or ACTC refunds before mid-February. This includes your entire refund, not just the part that's related to the credit you claimed on your tax return. If you claim the EITC or ACTC, we may need more information from you about your return.

The intimation also includes a detailed tax computation of the tax as per the taxpayers and the income tax department. The whole process generally takes 20-45 days from the day of e-verification or the receipt of ITR-V by the CPC.

If you're still waiting on your tax refund, it's possible that your tax return is taking longer for the IRS to process because it requires additional review. There are several reasons why your tax return may be delayed: Errors such as an incomplete filing status. Missing information.

You can file a suit in a United States District Court or the United States Court of Federal Claims. However, you generally have only two years to file a refund suit from the date the IRS mails you a notice that denies your claim.

What should I do? Request an expedited refund by calling the IRS at 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059). Request a manual refund expedited to you.

The latest date, by law, you can claim a credit or federal income tax refund for a specific tax year is generally the later of these 2 dates: 3 years from the date you filed your federal income tax return, or. 2 years from the date you paid the tax.

If my refund on the IRS website says still processing does it mean I will be audited? There's absolutely no reason to necessarily think that you're under review or that an audit is pending, so please don't worry. The "processing" message you see is perfectly normal. In fact, the messages and bars on the IRS.

What if the IRS is holding my refund for 60 days? ›

If you haven't received your refund or heard from us after 60 days, you can call us at the number listed above. Someone may have attempted to use your personal information to obtain a tax refund. 14039 instructions, along with a copy of this notice. Notify your financial institutions.

The IRS can delay your tax refund until it completes any audits. This is most common when the IRS is conducting a mail audit on your EITC or ACTC return from a prior year. Normally, you'll receive IRS Letter CP88 indicating that your refund is frozen until the IRS completes the audit.

Taxpayers whose tax returns have been flagged for possible identity theft should receive one of the following letters: Letter 5071C, Potential Identity Theft during Original Processing with Online Option – Provides online and phone options and is issued most widely.

But, if you've seen Tax Topic 152, your refund will likely take longer than 21 days to process. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong or you won't get your refund. It's just an indication that your return is still being processed and has yet to be accepted or rejected.

How long a refund is delayed depends on the issue with the return. The IRS often can correct math errors without involving taxpayers, so those refunds might be delayed just a few weeks. If there are concerns about possible identity theft, taxpayers could wait more than a year, according to the IRS.

"IRS Accepted Return But Not Approved" Meaning

If a taxpayer receives the status update that their tax return was accepted but not approved, this means that the IRS has received their tax return, but they have not yet evaluated the information.

Quick IRS Response: E-filing? Expect the IRS to acknowledge your return within 24 to 48 hours. IRS Refund Timetable: Post-acceptance, the processing time typically unfolds on an IRS-determined schedule. Speedy Refund Delivery: The majority of refunds are dispatched within 21 days of e-file acceptance.

IRS refund statuses

Generally, it takes 24-48 hours for the IRS to accept the return, or several days until the IRS processes the backlog of returns. Note: if the status "Being Processed" persists for several months, contact the IRS. There could be a clerical or mailing error.