So, you were pleasantly surprised to get a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, “Where’s my refund?”
Check Your Refund Status Online
The easiest way to check your refund is to ask the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page you will see a “Where’s my refund?” link. Using the service is quite easy. You need a copy of your tax return to provide the necessary information to get the status of your refund. Specifically, you must provide your social security number, your tax filing status and the exact amount of your refund. The reason the IRS requires that all of this information is solely for safety reasons, namely, the Authority would ensure that it only gives access to the taxpayer. Again, all this information be returned. If there is something very wrong!
Once you submit the required information, the IRS will provide online results typically showing:
1) The return was received and is in processing;
2) The expected mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund, or
3) Whether your refund could not be issued due to delivery problems.
In some cases, the results call your attention to the fact that the IRS is on your tax return because of errors or questionable data. In such cases, it is highly recommended that you review your return with a qualified tax professional and make absolutely sure that the return will stand up to scrutiny.
How long must you wait before checking?
If you filed your tax return electronically, you should be able to access the status of your refund within 48 to 72 hours. Since the return is on its way into the database electronically, it should be assimilated into the system fairly quickly. If you do not file your return electronically, you will have to wait three weeks or more before the status of your return can be controlled. As you can imagine, the IRS gets a huge return paper tax and it takes time to organize and enter back into the system.
How long will it take to get your tax refund?
If you are expecting a refund, the time to issue the refund depends on how you set your return. If you filed a paper return via regular mail, you refund should be issued in six to eight weeks from the date it was received by the IRS. Alternatively, if you filed your return electronically, you should expect to receive your refund within three to four weeks. If you chose to have your refund directly into your bank account, you should take a week off from the above estimates.
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