Yes, same. It's been received but is still being processed. But what a nightmare. I sent it with tracking, and at some point it disappeared into a postal receiving facility in Chicago and stopped being tracked. Apparently, the USPS got overwhelmed during the height of the pandemic, and weren't scanning tracked items properly. But then I had no idea if it was actually received by the IRS or actually lost. I kept checking the IRS site and it said it had no record, but also said don't send a second copy. It wasn't until January--i.e. just a month ago!--that I received a paper letter from the IRS (dated two days before Christmas!!) that they needed to confirm my identity before processing. That letter took a whole month to get to me. I called that day and got that sorted out, but then they said it would be up to 9 weeks before the return was processed. Sorry, long explanation, but I'm still fuming. They don't make it easy......
I've used FedEx for years simply for the peace of mind. Tracking is accurate and in real time. When the package is delivered you receive a notice which includes the exact time (down to the second) the package was accepted by the IRS, plus you have the name of the agent who accepted it (supposedly - I suspect this is a generic IRS agent), all on the FedEx site. You copy the FedEx notice for your records. Expensive, yes, but at least you know the return is in the system and not on some mule train somewhere in the outback of Oklahoma.
Whether you file on paper or with TurboTax et. al., any immediate confirmation the IRS have received the package is not a final acceptance of the return. The IRS have at least 3 years to check accuracy before the approval is final, provided there are no suspicious activities.
As for the time it takes to process paper returns, have a look at the following topic from a web site for professional tax preparers. Reply #11 explains what happens once a return arrives at the processing center, and reply #30 explains the IRS notice for what exactly happened to you. The topic is for an amended return, but it's clear the steps are the same for all returns during initial processing.
My return for 2019 was sent mid-August. I received confirmation of its delivery the next day. With Covid precautions, I suspect processing has not yet started.
https://www.taxprotalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20189
