One of the problems is that the IRS has not had the technology to digitize a paper tax return or form. Instead, an IRS employee manually enters each digit from the form into the agency's system – a process that resulted in transcription errors on about 22% of paper returns in 2021.
But what if you're filing a paper return? If you're filing a paper copy of your tax return, the IRS won't technically reject it because of missing or incorrect information. However, your return won't be considered as filed until it's corrected.
The IRS generally releases refunds within specified times. Generally, the IRS needs two weeks to process a refund on an electronically filed tax return and up to six weeks for a paper tax return.
The IRS maintains that filing returns electronically can prevent mistakes and lower the odds of an audit. The error rate for a paper return is 21%. The error rate for returns filed electronically is 0.5%.
Check your federal tax return status online
If you never received your tax refund
To replace a lost or stolen tax refund check, you can request a refund trace in the IRS Where's My Refund tool. You will need to enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund.
One of the problems is that the IRS has not had the technology to digitize a paper tax return or form. Instead, an IRS employee manually enters each digit from the form into the agency's system – a process that resulted in transcription errors on about 22% of paper returns in 2021.
Not reporting all of your income is an easy-to-avoid red flag that can lead to an audit. Taking excessive business tax deductions and mixing business and personal expenses can lead to an audit. The IRS mostly audits tax returns of those earning more than $200,000 and corporations with more than $10 million in assets.
Initially included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the lower 1099-K threshold was meant to close tax gaps by flagging more digital income. It required platforms to report any user earning $600 or more, regardless of how many transactions they had.
Here are 12 IRS audit triggers to be aware of:
Taxpayers can start checking on the status of their return within 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of an electronically filed return or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper return. The tool's tracker displays progress in three phases: Return received. Refund approved.
A tax refund could be delayed weeks or even months in some cases. The length of the delay may depend on how backed up the IRS is on processing tax returns, whether you turn around requested documentation quickly, and whether you need to file an amended return.
Quick Answer. Your refund may be bigger based on new deductions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and inflation adjustments to the standard deduction and tax brackets. However, individual results will vary. Changes to your income, withholding and life circumstances can all affect your tax refund.
Effective September 30, 2025, the IRS discontinued the issuance of paper checks for all tax-related refunds. All payments from the IRS will be made electronically via direct deposit, electronic funds transfer, prepaid debit cards, or other approved digital methods.
Some common culprits that could cause a rejection are mismatched names, SSNs, employer EINs, electronic signature numbers, or an expired TIN. File early. Another action to take is to file your return early. This gives identity theft criminals less time to file a fraudulent return using your information.
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.
The law requires trades and businesses report cash payments of more than $10,000 to the federal government by filing IRS/FinCEN Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000 Received in a Trade or Business PDF. Transactions requiring Form 8300 include, but are not limited to: Escrow arrangement contributions.
How to lower taxable income and avoid a higher tax bracket
One-time forgiveness, officially known as First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA), is an IRS program that allows qualified taxpayers to have certain penalties removed from their tax accounts.
The IRS tries to audit tax returns as soon as possible after they are filed. Accordingly, most audits will be of returns filed within the last two years. If an audit is not resolved, we may request extending the statute of limitations for assessment tax.
Here is a list of things a tax scammer will do but The IRS will never do:
Using a reputable tax preparer – including certified public accountants, enrolled agents or other knowledgeable tax professionals – can also help avoid errors.
IRS is moving away from sending paper refund checks for most taxpayers. The change will improve security, speed up refunds and lower costs.
Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool or the IRS2Go mobile app to check your refund online. This is the fastest and easiest way to track your refund. The systems are updated once every 24 hours. You can contact the IRS to check on the status of your refund.