How to know if I filed taxes on time

April 18, 2022 8:28 AM

I submitted my federal tax return online this morning, but it's not accepted yet by the IRS. Did I file on time?

Today is the deadline for filing 2021 taxes, which I did this morning online via TurboTax.
TurboTax confirms with this message: "You e-filed your 2021 federal tax return on April 18th, 2022 at 10:31 AM."
But TurboTax estimates that the return won't be *accepted* by the IRS until ~2 days (or presumably rejected if I made errors). Either way, have I met the filing deadline?

posted by LonnieK to Work & Money (8 answers total)

FWIW, I submitted mine using TurboTax last week, and got the same two-day estimate, but I got my confirmation of acceptance like an hour and a half later.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:38 AM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

I've used TurboTax for 5 years since starting my business. They always give the 2 day estimate and mine also have always been accepted later the same day as filing.

I think you're fine. There's any number of people mailing their returns today. I think TurboTax would have prompted you to file an extension if there was some issue.
posted by sevenless at 8:54 AM on April 18, 2022 [3 favorites]

Yes, you met the deadline. The deadline is the deadline for filing, not for acceptance. The only way you would NOT meet the filing deadline after having filed today is if your return is rejected AND you fail to fix the rejection within the five-day "perfection period".
posted by phoenixy at 8:58 AM on April 18, 2022 [17 favorites]

It is my experience that you filed on time. A relative filed electronically, got the same or a very similar message as you did and then the IRS said it never got the return. Relative showed the IRS the notice and got the whole thing fixed in one, two hour phone call. Relative said IRS agent was "a doll". Not sure what that means, but it sounds like a good thing especially when dealing with the IRS.

On preview, what phoenixy said.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:00 AM on April 18, 2022

FreeFileFillableForms has the same "you'll hear from the IRS within 48 hours" boilerplate; I think it's what the IRS promises to every electronic filing system, but in practice both acceptances and rejections occur within about an hour, so the odds are good you'll know today (and at this point, probably already do know) whether your submission's been accepted.

And I didn't know about the five-day "perfection period" phoenixy mentioned above. That's very reassuring.
posted by jackbishop at 9:34 AM on April 18, 2022

When you go through the process of e-filing, they make a big deal that clicking File is akin to dropping the returns in the mailbox. So even if you are not accepted today you are "postmarked" today and you are on time.
posted by AgentRocket at 9:36 AM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]

(I write this mostly for anyone else looking at this thread, not the explicit question)

The IRS is usually primarily concerned that payments are made in a timely manner. If you don't owe it's not the end of the world if you're delayed. If you did owe as long as the payment is accepted you're in good shape as well.

Important to note here that extensions do not delay the payment requirements. You need to make a good faith payment that covers your taxes even if you take the extension to get all the paperwork in order.
posted by bitdamaged at 10:03 AM on April 18, 2022

Back in the olden days, when we mailed things in, the important thing was to have your taxes postmarked on the deadline. You never knew if they were "accepted" unless you were due a refund and then got it. I think what you've done -- filing with Turbo Tax today -- is the modern day equivalent of a postmark.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:50 PM on April 18, 2022 [1 favorite]