Are there refund delays

If your return meets these criteria, the IRS will manually review your return, and it may take an additional 90 to days to receive your refund. You can find additional details on the IRS website. Quickly paying out refunds causes concern for the IRS and the U. And rushing this process creates the opportunity for return errors and improper refunds.

Specifically, Congress:. Both new rules mean that, for the first time, the IRS will have the information and the time it needs to question more returns before issuing refunds. In fact, several IRS compliance programs take or hold refunds for millions of taxpayers each year. Here are some of the reasons why your tax refund may be delayed:. When the IRS issues refunds, it mainly takes or reduces offsets refunds when taxpayers have debts to pay.

Here are the two most common situations:. Taxpayers should call TOP at for answers. File an injured spouse claim using Form , Injured Spouse Allocation. The IRS can hold your refund and request more information from you in several situations. The IRS delays processing returns bearing a Social Security number that has already been filed, so if you file first, the thief will be out of luck.

If the thief files first, your refund can be delayed for several months while the IRS verifies your information and tracks down the fraudulent return.

The fastest way to receive a refund is to e-file a correct return and request a direct deposit of the refunded amount. This is one area, Holland says, where you should triple-check your data entry. The IRS will issue a paper check once the deposit is rejected or returned by the bank, and mail the check to you.

You can choose to have a paper check sent from the outset, rather than direct deposit. This will technically delay your refund, compared to when you'd have it with direct deposit. Assuming everything else is correct, the delay is limited to the amount of time it takes the IRS to issue the check and the Postal Service to deliver it.

Even if everything on your return is accurate, filing on paper means it will take longer for you to receive your refund. The IRS estimates that refunds from electronically filed returns will be sent within three weeks. It may take up to six weeks, however, to send refunds from paper-filed returns. While e-filing is the fastest option for most taxpayers, some situations require you to file a paper return. If you're requesting an adoption credit or filing a multiple support agreement, for example, you are ineligible to e-file your return.

Additionally, some forms and supporting documents, such as a power of attorney, require additional forms that must be mailed into the IRS even if you e-file. If you need to make changes to your tax return after you've filed, you'll need to prepare an amended return. Amended returns are ineligible for e-filing and must be mailed to the IRS.

Processing for an amendment takes an estimated eight to 12 weeks from the date the IRS receives the return. She received little information, however, about her father's pending refund and eventually filed a grievance with Taxpayer Advocate Service.

Still, there were no updates, even after checking the status through the Where's My Refund tool. With millions of overdue refunds, usage for the IRS tool spiked to more than million through May , according to Taxpayer Advocate Service's mid-year report.

However, many taxpayers couldn't get updates on when to expect their refund or what was causing the delay. The agency lost more than 33, full-time workers between and , according to its fiscal year report , and although it has boosted the workforce since , staffing has remained below levels. Although the Senate's budget solution framework mentions an offset of "IRS tax enforcement," it's unclear whether lawmakers will sign off on the billions of funding Biden proposed.

After tapping her personal accountant for guidance, Treacy finally learned her father's refund was flagged for fraud due to identity theft concerns. Although Treacy had filed the necessary forms, such as her father's death certificate, trust and more, she needed to visit her local Taxpayer Assistance Center to resubmit paperwork, verify her identity and prove she is the executor.

With the refund in hand, she said she has finally reached the final step in the process: working with an attorney to close her father's estate. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Part Of. Tax Preparation. Getting Help. Tax Strategy. Tax Credits and Deductions. Retirement and Your Taxes. Tax Filing. Tax Refunds. Tax Security. Taxes Income Tax. Table of Contents Expand. How long will it take to get my tax refund? What are the most common reasons for delay? How do I check my refund status? The Bottom Line. Or it might simply mean an unusually high processing volume at the IRS.