Does my state return have to be filed before the irs approve my federal

No.   The IRS is not paying any attention to whether you filed your state return.  The IRS and your state are separate entities.  

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities,  There is no rule as to which one will come first or how much time there will be between their arrivals.

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer. “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS.   Many refunds are taking longer during the pandemic.  The IRS is backlogged —-they are still trying to process millions of 2019 returns; and they received over 35 million e-files when e-filing opened for 2020 returns.

Some delays are resulting from incorrect amounts that folks entered for stimulus checks they received.   Many people have been confused by the recovery rebate credit and completed it incorrectly.  The IRS may delay your refund while they cross-check to see what you received.

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

 If accepted, they try to process it within three weeks but it can be longer.  if you have earned income credit or additional child tax credit, it will be at least the end of February before you see your refund, due to the PATH act that requires that they hold your refund longer.

Once your federal return has been accepted by the IRS, only the IRS has any control.  TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS. Your ONLY source of information about your refund now is the IRS.

You need your filing status, your Social Security number and the exact amount  (line 34of your 2020 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

STATE RETURN

Make sure your state return was accepted:  https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund