What to Do If You Haven’t Received Your Tax Refund

Returns filed by mail can take more than twice as long to process than those sent electronically. 

If the Internal Revenue Service owes you a tax refund, you’re probably eager to get it in your hands as soon as possible. Typically the quickest — and safest — way to get a refund is electronically filing your return and opting for direct deposit. Still, there may be factors outside of your control that can delay processing.

Here’s what you need to know about tracking your refund.

How to track your tax refund

The IRS has a tool where filers can check the status of their refund. You can find it here, or you can search “Where’s My Tax Refund?”

You can check the tool after 48 hours of filing electronically and receiving notification of acceptance or four weeks after you’ve mailed a return. The information is updated daily.

To get your refund status, you’ll need to provide your:

• Social Security number
• Filing status
• Exact refund amount

These are all found on the tax return you filed for the year.

Note: If you pay state income taxes, you may be getting a separate refund. State tax refunds are processed independently from federal tax refunds and you will need to check your state’s tax department website to find the status.

Common reasons for refund delays

If your return requires additional review, it may take longer than normal to receive your refund. Some circumstances that may delay your refund include:

• Missing information
• Errors
• A return affected by identity theft
• A return that includes Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which could take as long as 14 weeks to process
• Claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (refunds cannot be paid out until late February)
• Filing with an Individual Taxpayer ID Number (ITIN)

How long does it usually take?

About 90% of refunds are processed within 21 days of e-filing, according to the IRS. Paper returns are processed much more slowly (typically four weeks or more). If you electronically file and provide bank account information to the IRS for direct deposit, you’ll likely see your refund sooner.

Next steps if your refund is delayed

Once your tax return has been accepted, it goes into a queue for processing.

“The best way to think about the IRS is a giant database, and processing your return is simply a series of checks of your data against the data it knows about you already,” Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor, explains.

“During this time it looks at all the information you submitted — such as your W-2 income, child tax credits, and more — and looks at its records to see if the data matches. If everything looks good (or within a range of what it expects), your return is sent to be approved and then either payment or refund will be processed.”

When to contact the IRS

If it’s been more than the estimated three-week turnaround time for a return you e-filed and four weeks for a paper filing, and you don’t see your refund status on the IRS tracker, you may contact the automated refund hotline at 800-829-1954.

If you’re waiting on a refund from an amended return, you can call 866-464-2050.