3. Look for Delays: Refund delays can be due to various factors, including errors on the return, identity verification checks, or changes in tax law. The IRS has been known to experience backlogs, especially after major tax law changes or during peak processing seasons. 4.
The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days of when you electronically filed your tax return, and longer for paper returns.
In 2023, the IRS still estimates that more than 80% of people will receive their tax refunds not later than 21 days. However, this may vary based on the time you file your tax return. If you file it early, the IRS will hold your refund until February 15, 2023, before processing your refund request.
If your refund is delayed
Your refund may be delayed if your return needs corrections or extra review. If we need more information to process your return, we'll send you a letter.
If your refund status used to be your tax return is still being processed, but now the status says it is being processed, the IRS may have detected an issue in your tax return that could cause a delay in the release of your tax refund.
See our Held or Stopped Refund page or our video for more information. If the IRS is reviewing your return, the review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing. Follow these steps if you know you made a mistake, before the IRS contacts you.
If the IRS decides that your return merits a second glance, you'll be issued a CP05 Notice. This notice lets you know that your return is being reviewed to verify any or all of the following: Your income. Your tax withholding.
Refunds can take so long to process because of factors such as: The merchant—How quickly the merchant responds to your request affects the timeline of your refund. Issuer bank—The card issuer may take several days to process the request after the merchant submits a refund authorization.
Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, it's possible your tax return may require additional review that may take longer to process.
- You can start checking on the status of your return sooner - within 36 hours after you file your e-filed return or 4 weeks after a mailed paper return. It's Up-to Date! - It's updated every 24 hours - usually overnight -- so you only need to check once a day. There's no need to call IRS unless Where's My Refund?
The IRS anticipates most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically, if they choose direct deposit and there are no issues with their tax return.
If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
When your taxes are under review, it's normal to wonder if you'll still get your refund. The answer is, it depends. If your information checks out, your refund will be processed. If there's a discrepancy, and you've incorrectly reported, you may end up owing instead of receiving a refund.
Your refund may be delayed for several reasons. In some cases, you'll just get the money later than expected. In others, the IRS may send you a letter asking for additional information before it can finish processing your return and send your refund.
Another easily avoidable audit red flag is rounding or estimating dollar amounts on your tax return. Say, for instance, you round $403 of tip income to $400, $847 of student loan interest to $850, and $97 of medical expenses to $100. The IRS is going to see all those nice round numbers and think you're making them up.
The most convenient way to check on a tax refund is by using the Where's My Refund? tool on IRS.gov. Taxpayers can start checking their refund status within 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of the taxpayer's e-filed return.
During the pandemic, the IRS's policy decisions to prioritize other areas (such as shuffling employees to answer telephone lines) contributed to these unreasonable processing delays that continued throughout 2023 and are expected to continue into 2024.
The IRS is taking more than 21 days (and up to 90 to 120 days), to issue refunds for tax returns with the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. You should only contact the IRS if: It's been 21 days or more since you e-filed. Where's My Refund?
Who Is Audited More Often? Oddly, people who make less than $25,000 have a higher audit rate. This higher rate is because many of these taxpayers claim the earned income tax credit, and the IRS conducts many audits to ensure that the credit isn't being claimed fraudulently.
The IRS can delay your tax refund until it completes any audits. This is most common when the IRS is conducting a mail audit on your EITC or ACTC return from a prior year.
The best and fastest way to get your tax refund is to have it electronically deposited for free into your financial account. The IRS program is called direct deposit. You can use it to deposit your refund into one, two or even three accounts.