What do do if you still haven't received your tax refund

What practise practise if you lot still haven't received your taxation refund

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In a normal yr, most Americans expect to receive their tax refunds apace, usually within a few weeks of filing their returns. Simply with processing delays due to COVID-19, many are waiting much longer.

The IRS is maxim that about refunds are still issued within 21 agenda days. And then what happens if you lot even so haven't received your taxation refund? Here'southward why yours may not have arrived and what you tin can do about information technology.

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Your return hasn't been processed

The IRS has been behind on processing returns for the entire tax season, but at that place are a few situations causing additional delays for some taxpayers:

You mailed your return instead of filing electronically.
Your return has errors similar an incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit.
Your return is incomplete.
You filed a claim for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Boosted Child Revenue enhancement Credit (ACTC).
Y'all submitted Class 8379, Injured Spouse Allotment.
You are a victim of identity theft or fraud.
Your return needs additional IRS review.

If the IRS contacts you (which they will do by post simply) requesting description or more than information, responding in a timely way may aid move your return forth.

Your refund has been delayed, lost or issued incorrectly

If your return has been processed, there are a handful of reasons that your refund may not have arrived. If y'all opted for a paper bank check rather than direct eolith, information technology's possible that your bank check got lost in the post or stolen. If y'all were expecting your refund to show up in your banking company business relationship, it's possible that the account information on your return was entered incorrectly.

Another unfortunate possibility is tax return preparer fraud — this is when the individual you hired to practise your taxes altered your return after you canonical and signed information technology to redirect funds to a unlike business relationship than the one you selected. This situation may exist tricky to track down, merely often the IRS will alarm you lot to inconsistencies on your return. You may also request a transcript of your tax account to brand certain it matches the return you signed.

A final possibility is that the IRS is property onto your refund, either related to your merits for the EITC or ACTC or to first debts, such as outstanding taxes or child support.

How to cheque your return and refund status

The only style to runway your return and refund is to use the Where'due south My Refund? tool on IRS.gov. You can call the IRS Tax Assist Line at 800-829-1040, simply if your return is active on Where's My Refund? you are unlikely to go any boosted details not provided online.

Your return status should announced within 24 hours of filing your electronic return or within four weeks of mailing your newspaper render. A status of "received" indicates that the IRS has your return for processing, and a status of "approved" ways that the IRS has approved your refund. You lot volition too see when the funds are expected to be distributed, and the status volition alter to "sent" when your refund is on its style.

What is IRS TREAS 310?

If you run across IRS TREAS 310 on your bank argument, this is your refund from your filed revenue enhancement return. You may also see this lawmaking if y'all received an adjustment or credit on your render due to stimulus legislation.

What to do if you lot haven't received your refund (and need it)

Again, at that place's really no way to speed along the processing of your return and the payment of your refund if there's no specific issue with your render or evidence of fraud. If the IRS needs more than data to finalize your refund, provide this in a timely way.

If y'all submitted the wrong banking company account information for straight eolith, yous can contact your bank and attempt to sort information technology out. If this doesn't go anywhere, you tin file Form 3911 for IRS assistance. Even so, the IRS cannot forcefulness your banking company to transfer or return the money.

If you suspect that your paper check was lost or stolen, you lot can start an IRS trace.

In the outcome of taxation return preparer fraud, the process to remedy your situation is lengthy. Yous'll need to file a police written report and provide a handful of documents to the IRS.

Finally, if yous are experiencing financial hardship while waiting for your return to be processed, you lot may be able to request that the IRS expedite your refund.

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Emily Long is a Utah-based freelance author who covers consumer engineering, privacy and personal finance for Tom's Guide. She has been reporting and writing for about 10 years, and her work has appeared in Wirecutter, Lifehacker, NBC Better and CN Traveler, amongst others. When she's not working, you can detect her trail running, teaching and practicing yoga, or studying for grad schoolhouse — all fueled by java, obviously.