For many Americans, tax refunds are typically spent before they are received. We anticipate a tax refund and the next thing we know, we’re planning a vacation or buying a new car or furniture. Some people want to use the tax refund to pay off a bill or to purchase something they have been waiting for months to buy.  So it is likely that you will want to know where your refund is and when to expect it.

For those of you who are waiting for your tax refund and have not received it yet, go online to the IRS website and click the tool tab that says, “Where’s My Refund”.  Be prepared to have your tax return in front of you to verify authenticity of the correct person inquiring about the refund.  Some refunds will not be received by taxpayers until the week of February 27th. This is due to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit refunds being held so the IRS can verify accurate information since these credits are commonly inaccurate.

Using the “Where’s My Refund” tool will help provide you with a status of the refund and an anticipated date as to when you will receive the refund. This tool is only updated once a day. Most tax refunds are issued less than 21 days after e-filing your return. The IRS recommends that people file their tax returns electronically. Refunds are issued sooner than if you paper file your returns which can take up to 4 weeks to get a status of your refund.

When to check status of your refund:

  • Within 24 hours after the IRS has received your e-filed tax return; or
  • 4 weeks after mailing your paper return.

Make sure you use an authorized e-file provider. Our office is an authorized to e-file provider and can e-file your tax returns.

Need to amend your tax returns? All amended tax returns must be paper filed and therefore the IRS takes a significant amount of time to process those returns. If you are anticipating a refund from a recent amended tax return, it may take up to 6 weeks to receive a refund. The IRS has limitations on refunds from a tax return that was filed late. Contact our office if you have multiple years of tax returns to file or to amend. Our office can prepare multiple back tax returns. However, depending on the statute of limitations, consult with our office to determine the statute of filing back tax returns or amended returns.