What are the specific steps of tax return status and how long does each one take?

The IRS did not officially start accepting returns until January 27, 2020 (except for a batch that were accepted as an early test batch). When your return is submitted, it will usually sit in a pending status for 24-48 hours, except for the month of January where it could take a little longer until the IRS clears out the backlog.  Once your return has been accepted (received) by the government, they take over the refund status update duties, since they hold the purse strings. The status in TurboTax will remain as accepted. Use the IRS Where's My Refund site for the latest word on your federal tax refund and your state government's refund lookup service for the latest on your state refund. The next step you are waiting for is for the refund status to change to approved. The IRS estimates that most refunds will be sent within three weeks after your e-filed returns are accepted. Many refunds will come sooner. After you are approved you should get your deposit or mailing date within a few days. For more information, please click here.