Where Is Your Tax Refund?

The IRS is holding millions of tax returns, thus delaying refunds for many taxpayers. The reason lies mainly with the pandemic. However, the IRS has also been overwhelmed with three rounds of stimulus payments, changes in the tax laws, and adjustments for returns, tax breaks and tax credits.
The IRS is actively processing tax returns, refunds, and other communications, but is lacking some resources. Thus, some returns are taking longer than normal to process. This usually happens because of:

• Errors in submitted forms
• Forms being incomplete
• The presence of a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation PDF. (This can take up to 14 weeks to process)
• Returns including a claim for earned income tax credit or an additional child tax credit
• Identity theft or fraud
• Returns needing further review
Tracking Your IRS Refund
You should only contact the IRS directly if it has been at least 21 days since you filed electronically or if the IRS tool Where’s My Refund instructs you to contact the IRS. You can use Where’s My Refund, to get your refund status. Enter your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your filing status, and the exact amount of your expected refund. After hitting submit, the website will take you to a page that shows your refund status. In addition, you will need to enter the date you filed, and whether you filed electronically or via paper.
There is also a mobile ap called IRS2Go. This application also allows you to check your refund status. IRS2Go will tell you if the IRS received your information, the status, and whether the IRS has sent your refund. As with Where’s My Refund, you will need to provide your Social Security Number, filing status, and anticipated refund amount. The IRS updates this site every 24 hours. So, you can check everyday for an update. You will receive notification from the IRS once they have approved the refund, which will include the anticipated date you will receive it.
We DO NOT recommend that you contact your tax preparer to try to speed this process because there is nothing any tax professional can do. Certainly, however, if you have questions concerning tax planning, we welcome you to contact us.
Professional Tax Services is a locally owned provider serving over 3,500 local residents and businesses. For more information call 661-259-1967 or visit www.protaxservices.com. Through their complimentary EZ2 Thrive program, they provide unlimited free tax planning advice to their clients.