The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
When you e-file, it typically takes 24 to 48 hours for the IRS to accept your return. Once your return is accepted, you are on the IRS' refund timetable. The IRS typically issues refunds in less than 21 days after your e-filed return is accepted.
Many taxpayers who filed paper returns in 2021 got caught in the backlog and reported waiting six months and longer to receive their refunds. The IRS acknowledged Tuesday: "To date, more than twice as many returns await processing compared to a typical year at this point in the calendar year."
Things that can delay a refund:
The return has a claim filed for an earned income tax credit, additional child tax credit, or includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse AllocationPDF. The time it takes a taxpayer's bank or credit union to post the refund to the taxpayer's account.
The IRS is still processing 2021 paper tax returns | Fortune.
The IRS is making progress on its backlog of unprocessed tax returns, but millions remain, the agency said Tuesday. As of June 10, there were 11 million pending individual returns, including filings received before 2022 and new 2021 returns, according to the IRS.
Taxpayers face "unprecedented" delays getting their refunds, IRS watchdog says. The Internal Revenue Service is facing an even bigger backlog for this tax season than it did a year ago, with delays creating "unprecedented financial difficulties" for taxpayers, according to a report released Wednesday.
If you haven't received your tax refund after at least 21 days of filing online or six weeks of mailing your paper return, go to a local IRS office or call the federal agency (check out our list of IRS phone numbers that could get you help faster).
It is also taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue refunds for some tax returns that require review including incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit amounts, or that used 2019 income to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
IRS Refund Schedule for Direct Deposits and Check Refunds
They now issue refunds every business day, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Due to changes in the IRS auditing system, they no longer release a full schedule as they did in previous years.
Over the past year, refund delays on paper-filed returns have generally exceeded six months, with delays of 10 months or more common for many taxpayers.
Status of Processing Form 1040-X, Amended Individual Tax Return: As of April 30, 2022, we had 2.3 million unprocessed Forms 1040-X. We are processing these returns in the order received and are working hard to get through the inventory. The current timeframe can be more than 20 weeks instead of up to 16.
How Long Does It Take the IRS To Approve a Refund? The IRS reports that most returns are processed and approved within a few days of when they are received, and most refunds are issued less than 21 days after the return is received.
The IRS continues to work on the few remaining 2021 individual tax returns that have processing issues or require additional information from the taxpayer. As of June 10, the IRS had processed more than 4.5 million of the more than 4.7 million individual paper tax returns received in 2021.
Whether you owe taxes or you're expecting a refund, you can find out your tax return's status by: Using the IRS Where's My Refund tool. Viewing your IRS account information. Calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 (Wait times to speak to a representative may be long.)
Many taxpayers who filed paper returns in 2021 got caught in the backlog and reported waiting six months and longer to receive their refunds. The IRS acknowledged Tuesday: "To date, more than twice as many returns await processing compared to a typical year at this point in the calendar year."
The agency is still trying to catch up on a backlog because of the pandemic. “It's taking us longer than normal to process mailed correspondence and more than 21 days to issue refunds for certain mailed and e-filed 2020 tax returns that require review,” the agency said.
To check the status of your federal tax return go to Where's My Refund? at IRS.gov. It will say 'approved' if it is approved. Or go to our e-file status lookup tool to get your current status (pending, accepted, or rejected).
The following are some of the reasons why tax returns take longer than others to process: Your tax return includes errors, such as incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit. Your tax return Is incomplete. Your tax return needs further review in general.
You should also expect to wait longer for your refund if the IRS determines that your tax return needs further review. Refunds for returns that have errors or that need special handling could take up to four months, according to the IRS.
The IRS only updates your refund status information once per week on Wednesdays. If you e-file your tax return, wait at least 72 hours from the date the IRS confirms receipt of your return before checking your refund status, and at least three weeks if you mail the return instead.
Once the tax return is processed, Where's My Refund" will tell a taxpayer when their refund is approved and provide a date when they can expect to receive it. "Where's My Refund" is updated no more than once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so taxpayers don't need to check the status more often.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.
What does it mean if my e-file status is “Pending”? This simply means your e-filed tax return was sent, but hasn't been accepted or rejected yet. It should generally get accepted or rejected within 24-48 hours of submitting.
Your refund may be delayed if you made math errors or if you forgot to sign your return or include your Social Security number. It may also be delayed if your dependents' information doesn't match IRS records, or if you left out a corresponding schedule or form to support a deduction or credit, says Pickering.