4. Don't let things go too long. 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).
What's Taking So Long? If you don't receive your refund in 21 days, your tax return might need further review. This may happen if your return was incomplete or incorrect. ... You may also experience delays if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit.
Be aware that the IRS is again expecting numerous delays in processing tax returns this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency recommends filing electronically and setting up direct deposit this year, as it can help get your refund issued within 21 days, assuming there are no errors.
In 2020, the IRS postponed the filing deadline for tax year 2019 tax returns from April 15 to July 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taxpayers who filed their returns on July 15, 2020, may reasonably believe they have until July 15, 2023, to obtain full refunds.
There are many reasons your tax refund could be delayed. Perhaps your numbers and your employer's numbers didn't match. ... This year, however, the mostly likely reason your tax refund is delayed is that you filed a paper return. There was an additional backlog of tax returns created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tax Refund Delays
In 2021, taxpayers who submitted their tax returns early had to wait a little longer than anticipated to receive their tax refund. In fact, the IRS is still processing last year's returns, according to the Treasury Department.
The IRS will issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. This could mean that all of the necessary forms were not sent to the IRS for processing. ... Your return has been flagged for identity theft or fraud.
The IRS can go back through three years' worth of returns or review up to six years if they find a serious error.
A major reason tax returns were delayed in 2021 was because taxpayers made mistakes in reporting their 2020 stimulus payment amounts on their returns, resulting in their tax filings getting flagged for manual review. "Don't have any problems that are caused from your own negligence," Everson advised.
There are a few reasons why you may be getting the following message at Where's My Refund: We cannot provide any information about your refund. You must wait at least 24 hours after you get the acknowledgment e-mail that your tax return was received by the IRS.
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.
Generally, if you fully paid the tax and the IRS denies your tax refund claim, or if the IRS takes no action on the claim within six months, then you may file a refund suit. You can file a suit in a United States District Court or the United States Court of Federal Claims.
It is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue refunds for some 2020 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).
REASONS TAX RETURN MAY TAKE LONGER TO PROCESS:
Is affected by identity theft or fraud. Includes a claim filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit using 2019 income. Includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which could take up to 14 weeks to process. Needs further review in general.
Jan 14, 2022
The Treasury Department warned this week that this year's tax season will be a “frustrating” one, and that tax refunds will likely be delayed due to a massive backlog of unprocessed returns from 2021.
Although the IRS says most refunds will be sent within 21 days, experts warn that delays are likely, noting that the agency is still working through 2020 tax returns. ... Donald Williamson, an accounting and taxation professor at American University in Washington, said he expects "weeks and weeks" of IRS delays in 2022.
The IRS is opening mail within normal timeframes and all paper and electronic individual refund returns received prior to April 2021 have been processed if the return had no errors or did not require further review. As of December 31, 2021, we had 6 million unprocessed individual returns.
"IRS employees are working hard to deliver a successful 2022 tax season while facing enormous challenges related to the pandemic," Rettig said. ... And they should file electronically with direct deposit if at all possible; filing a paper tax return this year means an extended refund delay."
There are many reasons why the IRS may be holding your refund. You have unfiled or missing tax returns for prior tax years. ... The IRS is reviewing your tax return. Your refund was applied to a debt you owe to the IRS or another federal or state agency.
The basic explanation is, the IRS can not match the income &/or withholding claimed on your tax return with IRS records. In layman's terms…. most likely we have not yet input all of the income documents. It takes time to enter every W2 from every employer for every employee NATIONWIDE into IRS records.
If my refund on the IRS website says still processing does it mean I will be audited? There's absolutely no reason to necessarily think that you're under review or that an audit is pending, so please don't worry. The "processing" message you see is perfectly normal. In fact, the messages and bars on the IRS.
You should only call if:
It has been 3 weeks or more since you filed electronically (11 weeks if Form 8379, Injured Spouse was included); It has been more than 6 weeks since you mailed your paper return (14 weeks if Form 8379, Injured Spouse was included); or. Where's My Refund? directs you to contact us.
If it has been over 21 days since your return was being accepted by the IRS (or 6 weeks if you filed a paper return) and the tax refund status has not changed or WMR has no updated message for delays, you can call the IRS and speak with an agent concerning your tax refund.
Chat with the Website Help Desk for help navigating the IRS site. Online agents can answer questions regarding where to find forms or other information on the site, but not questions regarding your tax return or refund. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.