How to Track Your Federal Tax Refund
The deadline for filing 2021 tax returns is just around the corner on Monday, April 18, 2022. Some of us have applied as quickly as possible , while others are currently struggling to do so within the next two weeks. Buy for everyone, the question remains: how long will you have to wait to get your federal tax refund?
As previously reported , the Treasury Department warned earlier this year that the IRS would face “enormous challenges,” largely due to a continued backlog of last year’s pending returns, among other problems. Many Americans are still waiting for their return in 2020 , and the 2022 season is also expected to be full of major delays.
Here’s how to track your federal tax refund and what experts say about when you can expect to receive it.
When to expect a tax refund?
According to the IRS , most taxpayers should receive their refund within 21 days of submitting an electronic application . If you applied by mail, you may have to wait more than four weeks.
However, many experts (and a small ad at the bottom of this IRS page ) say that not all taxpayers should expect to receive their funds during this 21-day window. In addition to staffing issues and IRS delays, here are some of the reasons why your tax returns may be delayed:
- Need to adjust the amount of the Credit Recovery Discount
- Child tax credit adjustment required
- Incomplete
- Suffered from identity theft or fraud
- Includes application for Earned Income Tax Credit or Supplemental Child Tax Credit using 2019 income.
- Includes PDF Form 8379 Allocation of Injured Spouses, which can take up to 14 weeks to process.
- More general review needed
So if you filed early, accurately and electronically, you should be among the 90% of taxpayers who will receive a refund within 21 days.
Where is your return?
Keeping track of the status of your refund won’t speed it up, but it can at least give you some peace of mind while you wait.
You can start checking ” Where is my return ?” IRS. website 24 hours after you submit an email to track the current status of your refund and when the IRS will send your refund. If you mailed in your return, you will have to wait four weeks to use this site.
To check the return status with “Where is my return?”, you need to enter your social security number or TIN, filing status, and the exact amount of the return. The “return status results” line is displayed when your return is received, approved, and shipped.
What if more than 21 days have passed?
Do not file a second tax return. If more than 21 days have passed since the electronic filing, the IRS encourages you to call them. ” Where is my return ?” The tracker will also prompt you to call the IRS if necessary.
Unfortunately, calling the IRS is not exactly a simple and reliable solution. In 2021, callers only got through to a real IRS employee 11% of the time . Once you’ve made the decision to call the IRS, here’s our guide to increasing your chances of reaching the real person on the other end of the line.