how long after my taxes are accepted will they be approved

Once your federal tax return is accepted , it usually takes anywhere from a few days up to about 3 weeks for it to move to approved and for the refund to be issued, as long as there are no problems or extra reviews needed. Most e-filed returns with direct deposit are processed and approved within 21 calendar days in a normal season.

What “accepted” vs “approved” really means

• Accepted : The IRS (or your state) has received your return and it passed basic checks like name, SSN, and dependents.
• Approved : The IRS has finished processing your return and has approved your refund amount; at this point they set a payment date.
• The time between accepted and approved is where most people are waiting and checking “Where’s My Refund?”.

Typical timelines after your return is accepted

For a normal year, with an accurately filed return:

• Most e-filed returns with direct deposit
  • Refunds are processed and approved in less than 21 calendar days in the majority of cases.
• Paper-filed returns or returns with special issues
  • Can take several weeks longer , sometimes 6–8 weeks or more if there are errors, identity checks, or manual reviews.
• After approval to money in your account
  • Once the refund is approved and a date is given, direct deposit usually shows up within a few days of that date, depending on your bank’s processing speed.

A common real-world pattern people report: accepted → approved in about 7–21 days , then money in the bank 1–5 days after the approval date, especially with direct deposit.

Factors that can slow approval

Your refund may take longer than the “typical” timeline if:

1. There are math errors or mismatches (for example, income not matching what payers reported).
2. You claimed credits that get extra scrutiny , such as:
   • Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
   • Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)
3. The IRS flags your return for identity verification or possible fraud.
4. You mailed a paper return instead of e-filing.
5. You changed bank information or selected a prepaid card that has slower processing.

In those cases, the IRS can go past 21 days and sometimes sends a notice asking for more information.

How to know where you stand

Here’s how you can keep tabs on the approval:

1. Use the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool or the IRS2Go app:
   • It updates once per day, not in real time.
   • You’ll see three stages: “Return Received” → “Refund Approved” → “Refund Sent.”
2. If it has been more than 21 calendar days since acceptance and there’s no update:
   • That’s the usual point where the IRS says you can contact them or check for any notices.
3. For state refunds , each state has its own refund tracker and timelines, which may be faster or slower than the IRS.

Quick example timeline

Imagine you e-file on February 1 with direct deposit:

• February 1–2: Your return shows as accepted.
• February 5–18: Many people see approval sometime in this window.
• Within a few days of approval: Direct deposit hits, depending on your bank.

So, in practice, you’re often looking at roughly 1–3 weeks from accepted to approved, and then just a bit longer for the money to arrive, assuming everything on your return is clean and you e-filed with direct deposit. TL;DR:
From the time your taxes are accepted, expect up to 21 calendar days for the IRS to approve the return and issue the refund in a typical case, with many people seeing approval within 1–2 weeks and direct deposit a few days after approval.