NOTE: this post is about refunds for regularly filed returns. If you are waiting for an extra refund from unemployment, this does NOT apply to you. There is no way to track those, just wait patiently :)
I'm starting to get a lot of emails from people concerned that their refunds have still not come several months after filing. You are not alone! Literally millions of people are still waiting on refunds as the IRS is behind on processing returns. As of June, it was reportedly 35 million still being processed. Sometimes there is an obvious reason, sometimes there is no reason at all. Unfortunately, there is literally nothing I can do to help you if you are waiting on your refund, assuming there is no actual issue to address. You just have to wait. If you haven't gotten your refund yet and you are worried, here is what you should do:
First, before you do anything else, check Where's My Refund? on the IRS website. You will need to know your social, filing status (married, single etc), and the amount of your refund. If you email me to check, this is the exact thing I am going to do.
Now, what does that say?
1. Your return is still processing. Congrats, the IRS has your return, but you just need to wait. Check the site periodically for any updates.
2. It might say there is an issue with your refund. It might have been taken for debts, or the IRS doesn't agree with your return, and they will be sending you a letter explaining what's going on. If you get a letter saying there is an issue, please do bring it to my attention.
3. It might say that your refund was issued on a certain date, either directly deposited to an account or mailed by check. If you check into that info and it seems your refund has gone astray, let me know and we can work on what to do next.
So if you are in situation #1 and your return is still being processed, why is it so delayed? The most common issue is that you requested stimulus money that you didn't get before on your tax return. These amounts have to be verified by an actual person, and that is taking months. You may have requested another credit like the EITC or Child Tax Credit and that amount is also being double checked by a human. A lot of returns were delayed that had unemployment this year. Even if you have none of these things, some returns just seem to be delayed for no reason I can discern at all, the IRS seems to have randomly decided a person needed to look at something, and again, thanks to Covid, that is taking a long time. Unfortunately there is nothing to do but wait patiently!
Now this is all for federal refunds, if you are missing a state refund, chances are much higher that there is an issue that needs to be addressed, like them wanting to verify your ID or get copies of your W2s or other state tax returns, so let me know if you have issues with them!
I'm starting to get a lot of emails from people concerned that their refunds have still not come several months after filing. You are not alone! Literally millions of people are still waiting on refunds as the IRS is behind on processing returns. As of June, it was reportedly 35 million still being processed. Sometimes there is an obvious reason, sometimes there is no reason at all. Unfortunately, there is literally nothing I can do to help you if you are waiting on your refund, assuming there is no actual issue to address. You just have to wait. If you haven't gotten your refund yet and you are worried, here is what you should do:
First, before you do anything else, check Where's My Refund? on the IRS website. You will need to know your social, filing status (married, single etc), and the amount of your refund. If you email me to check, this is the exact thing I am going to do.
Now, what does that say?
1. Your return is still processing. Congrats, the IRS has your return, but you just need to wait. Check the site periodically for any updates.
2. It might say there is an issue with your refund. It might have been taken for debts, or the IRS doesn't agree with your return, and they will be sending you a letter explaining what's going on. If you get a letter saying there is an issue, please do bring it to my attention.
3. It might say that your refund was issued on a certain date, either directly deposited to an account or mailed by check. If you check into that info and it seems your refund has gone astray, let me know and we can work on what to do next.
So if you are in situation #1 and your return is still being processed, why is it so delayed? The most common issue is that you requested stimulus money that you didn't get before on your tax return. These amounts have to be verified by an actual person, and that is taking months. You may have requested another credit like the EITC or Child Tax Credit and that amount is also being double checked by a human. A lot of returns were delayed that had unemployment this year. Even if you have none of these things, some returns just seem to be delayed for no reason I can discern at all, the IRS seems to have randomly decided a person needed to look at something, and again, thanks to Covid, that is taking a long time. Unfortunately there is nothing to do but wait patiently!
Now this is all for federal refunds, if you are missing a state refund, chances are much higher that there is an issue that needs to be addressed, like them wanting to verify your ID or get copies of your W2s or other state tax returns, so let me know if you have issues with them!
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