Haven’t gotten your IRS refund yet? Don’t panic.
We’ve all been there anxiously awaiting the prized refund from the IRS. Keep in mind, the IRS reports that 9 out of 10 refunds are issued in 21 days or less.
So why the delay? Your tax return may require additional review and will take longer to process. The IRS's Taxpayer Roadmap Tool can help you visualize the steps to process your refund.
The basic steps
The IRS computers check each return for accuracy as far as your credits and payments are concerned before issuing a complete refund. This can include a deeper analysis of each credit and payment as it applies to your Social Security Number (SSN).
Each withholding, extension payment and or estimated payment is linked to your SSN and is compared closely with your tax return. This is why it takes an estimated 21 days to process and approve your refund. Keep in mind some other things can happen as the IRS checks that your return is correct.
Other possible outcomes for your refund;
- A full refund could be approved but takes longer when the IRS releases the refunds for certain credits. For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit, by law, can’t be released until the end of February each year.
- A partial refund may be issued if there are corrections to your tax return that could include offsetting past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, spousal support, or other federal nontax debts, such as student loans.
- A complete change to your refund could be in the works resulting in the IRS issuing a letter or notice for proposed changes that need to be completed before a refund is issued.
The IRS has a handy Check Your Refund tool that can help you find out what’s happening with your IRS refund. You can use this tool under the following timetables:
- 24 hours after e-filing a current tax return (2023)
- 3 or 4 days after e-filing a past tax return (E-filing not available on FreeTaxUSA) for 2022 or 2021
- 4 weeks or more after filing a paper return
You’ll see the tracker information list as;
- Return Received
- Refund Approved
- Refund Sent after looking at your refund.
If this site asks you to call the IRS, use call 1-800-829-1040 and follow the prompts to talk to an IRS representative.
If you applied to complete a Refund Transfer by paying your tax charges with your IRS/State refund, you can check with our tax partner, Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG), to check for that refund status.
If you’re waiting for a state tax refund, you’ll need to do a web search for a refund tool provide by the separate state.
