| So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are | | | | errors or questionable entries. In such a case, it is highly |
| getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The | | | | advised that you review your return with a qualified |
| question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, | | | | tax professional and make absolutely sure that the |
| "Where is my refund?" | | | | return will stand up to scrutiny. |
| Check Your Refund Status Online | | | | How Long Do You Have To Wait Before Checking? |
| The easiest way to check on your refund is to ask | | | | If you filed your tax return electronically, you should be |
| the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page of the site, | | | | able to access the status of your refund within 48 to |
| you will see a "Where's My Refund?" link. Using the | | | | 72 hours. Since the return is coming into the database |
| service is fairly easy. You will need a copy of your tax | | | | electronically, it should be assimilated into the system |
| return to provide the necessary information to get the | | | | fairly quickly. If you do not file your return electronically, |
| status of your refund. Specifically, you need to provide | | | | you are going to have to wait three weeks or more |
| your social security number, you tax filing status and | | | | before the status of your return can be checked. As |
| the exact amount of your refund. The reason the IRS | | | | you can imagine, the IRS is receiving an enormous |
| requires all of this information is purely for security | | | | amount of paper tax returns and it takes time to |
| purposes, to wit, the agency wants to make sure it is | | | | organize and enter the returns into the system. |
| giving access only to the taxpayer. Again, all of this | | | | How Long Should It Take To Receive Your Tax |
| information should be on your return. If it is not, | | | | Refund? |
| something is very wrong! | | | | If you are expecting a refund, the time to issue the |
| Once you submit the required information, the IRS will | | | | refund will depend upon how you filed your return. If |
| provide online results typically showing: | | | | you filed a paper return via regular mail, you refund |
| 1. That the return was received and is in processing; | | | | should be issued in six to eight weeks from the date it |
| 2. The expected mailing date or direct deposit date of | | | | was received by the IRS. Alternatively, if you filed your |
| your refund; or | | | | return electronically, you should expect to receive your |
| 3. Whether your refund could not be issued because | | | | refund in three to four weeks. If you elected to have |
| of a delivery problem. | | | | your refund directly deposited in your banking account, |
| In some cases, the results may alert you to the fact | | | | you should take one week off of the above estimates. |
| that the IRS is reviewing your tax return because of | | | | |