IRS where is my refund website

Technical topics regarding tax preparation.
#1
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California
This client is calling me every day about his 2020 tax refund.

He filed in late September and, obviously, still has not received his refund as of today.

I have been checking on the IRS "Where's my refund' website for him every day as he is calling me every day.

I did see a change today though. Before, there was just a message that his tax return was being processed. But today, I see a color bar (mostly yellow) even if it shows the same status that his tax return is being processed.

I am guessing something must have happened for the color bar to appear. And I guess it is a good sign as it at least shows the processing is moving.

So, does anyone of you know what the appearance of the color bar implies?
 

#2
novacpa  
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McLean, Virginia 22101
Have him do the checking.
 

#3
CathysTaxes  
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Agree with Nova. Client calls me, i give them the phone number or website. If they complain, I tell them i will bill them for the time. I'm not their personal secretary.
Cathy
CathysTaxes
 

#4
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21-Apr-2014 12:31pm
Location:
HAWAII
I have a young family that has been waiting for a $2500 refund since April!!! They had a letter in about July requesting information that has been provided twice - once with the original response and once with a letter requesting a response with copies (clearly indicated as copies) attached. I called taxpayer's advocate prior to going out of town, about ten days ago to request help. So far I have had no response from the advocate's office and the website is still shown the refund as pending. This young couple is in Hawaii and they work in the hospitality industry that gets sorely impacted by tourism and with a huge surge in COVID, their economic life is taking huge ups and downs. It's getting really frustrating to continue to tell them I can't help to release the funds even though I keep trying the best I can. I only wish I could see some sort of color code that at least tells us that the funds are moving through the chain and will soon arrive.
 

#5
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740
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Location:
California
actionbsns, based on what you said, it seems the refund status page of your client is still showing the generic statement that their tax return is being processed. The color bar (mostly yellow and orange) of my client appeared a few days ago after we had seen that generic message for about 2 weeks. The color bar is still showing the same status that "Return Received" and the tax return is still being processed though. I am wondering if anyone knows what the appearance of the color bar implies.
 

#6
HowardS  
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2820
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21-Apr-2014 3:12pm
Location:
Southern Pines, NC
Found this on several sites:
The IRS states:



WHERE’S MY REFUND STATUS BARS DISAPPEARED

"We have gotten many comments and messages regarding the IRS Where’s My Refund Tool having your orange status bar disappearing. This has to do with the irs.gov where’s my refund site having too much traffic and lagging. This is causing images not to display and information about your federal tax return to not show up. This has happened every year since the tool was first available. This has nothing to do with you being flagged or your return being denied. Status Bars Disappeared for many Americans who filed early.

This also can have to do with your browser settings as well as your cache. Please try using a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox. Also, clear your cache in your browser settings."
Retired, no salvage value.
 

#7
mariaku  
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364
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11-Jul-2014 1:19pm
Location:
Oakland, CA
Take what you see on "Where is my return?" with a grain of salt these days.

I had one client whose correct refund came by check, but that IRS site still shows their return as never received.

I had another client whose return status with correct info was progressing through the colorful bar, then switched to the statement that the return is being processed, then started showing their return as never received.
 


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