How did I miss out on my tax refund? Investigate to learn more. If You've Received Your Refund, Congratulations!

What is the most frequently asked question about the upcoming tax season?

Inquiry: "Where did my refund go?"

If you sent your return in by mail or electronically, the IRS will take longer to process your refund.

Direct deposit of tax returns: 

Direct deposit of your federal tax refund is the fastest way to get it. Nine out of ten tax refunds will be issued within 21 days if there are no problems.

Mailing paper returns: This year, it's more important than ever to avoid delays in refunds by not using paper returns. The IRS advises you not to file on paper if you need your refund quickly. Because of COVID-19, the IRS expects more delays in paper returns. Your refund can take six to eight weeks to process after the IRS receives it, so it's best to wait four weeks before checking on it. However, the processing time for paper tax returns is even greater than the processing time for online tax returns.

Tax Refund Processing

24-48 hours after submitting an e-form, begin tracking its status: After you've e-filed your tax return, you can use the IRS Where's My Refund? tool to see where your refund is. In order to apply for a tax refund, you'll need your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

Inquiry Received Once an electronic filing has been received, you will receive notification within 24 to 48 hours. The Where's My Refund? tool will show "Return Received" status once the IRS begins processing your tax return. You will need your Social Security number or ITIN, your filing status, and the exact federal tax refund amount on your tax return to check your refund status. When the IRS has finished processing your tax return and approved your refund, you will see a refund date.

As of now, the status of "Returned" has been changed to "Approved." "Refund Approved" will be your status when the IRS completes processing your return and confirms that your tax refund has been approved. Status changes can take a few days and refund dates are not provided in Where's My Refund? Your refund won't be issued until the IRS processes your return and approves it.

How did my refund get lost? The refund date is shown in the tool: The IRS will send you a specific refund date as soon as your status changes to "Refund Approved."

How did I lose my refund? "Refund Sent" appears on the screen. If the status in Where's My Refund? indicates that your tax refund has been deposited into your bank account, the IRS has done so. The refund has been marked as "Sent." Please allow up to five business days for a deposit from your bank. In order to receive your refund by mail, it may take several weeks.

If you owe taxes, you could face a delay in receiving your refund:

The IRS has stated that if the information you provided on your tax return when claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit and the Advanced Child Tax Credit does not match the IRS records, your refund may be delayed. Your third stimulus payment in 2021, as well as your Advanced Child Tax Credit payments, were sent to you by the IRS this year in the form of Letter 6475 and Letter 6419. In order to claim the recovery rebate credit or the remaining portion of the 2021 Child Tax Credit, you must report the correct third stimulus amount and Advanced Child Tax Credit on your tax return, which will delay your tax return and refund.

Isn't enough - Your tax return will be penalised if you didn't have all of your documents or filed it incorrectly.

Overall, more investigation is needed.

Was a victim of fraud or a theft of one's identity?

There is a deadline of the middle of February for issuing refunds that include Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit under the Path Act.

Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which may take up to 14 weeks to process, is included in this package.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Status of Tax Refunds

Will I be able to see a date when I log into "Where's My Refund"?

Where Is My Taxpayer's Refund? When the IRS receives, processes, and approves your refund, the tool will not give you a date for when it will arrive.

It has been more than 21 days since the IRS received my tax return, and I still have not received my refund. What's going on here?

Some tax returns take longer to process than others, depending on the specifics of your tax situation. Some of the reasons it may take longer are that the IRS needs to review it further, or that the information is incomplete or contains an error.