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Why Is My Tax Refund Late? How To Check Your Status

It’s that fun time of year that so many of our Maggi Tax customers love — tax season. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most stressful times of the year as you’re trying to get everything together to get your taxes done on time. If you’re fortunate enough to file their taxes early, you may still be waiting for your refund to be credited to your account.

For those who have recently filed their taxes, typically, the IRS takes about 21 days to review and approve your return and deposit the refund into your account. However, some returns can take longer to process.

So, how do you track the status of your tax refund and find out more information about why your refund is late? That’s exactly what the friendly tax professionals at Maggi Tax will show you how to do today.

Tracking the status of your tax refund is quick and easy, thanks to the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? Tool. You can access it anytime at IRS.gov or even through the easy-to-use IRS2Go App on your smartphone or tablet.

Typically, you can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours of e-filing your 2021 tax return to know the real-time progress of processing your refund.

How Long Does My Refund Take to Process, And Why Is It Delayed?

The Where’s My Refund tool allows you to receive a personalized return date after your refund is processed and approved by the IRS. Remember that the IRS issues most refunds within 21 days of processing. However, there will be some refunds that can take longer if they require additional review.

If you’re wondering why your refund may be taking longer, here are some reasons that might be holding things up:

  • Your return included errors or is incomplete.
  • Your return might be affected by identity theft or even fraud.
  • Your bank does not process payments on weekends or holidays.

These are just a few reasons that your return might be late. Fortunately, when a return needs more processing time, the IRS will contact you by mail for the information it needs to process your tax return.

If you claimed the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit this past year, you could expect your refund to arrive by March 1st if:

  • You file your return online.
  • You choose to get your refund by direct deposit.
  • The IRS found no issues with your return.

Quick Refund Updates

Keep in mind that you can start checking the status of your return within 24 hours of the IRS acknowledging receipt of your e-filed return. If you filed by mail, you could check the status of your return up to four weeks after you mailed it in.

When you use the Where’s My Refund? Tool, you’ll see that the tracker uses three phases to track the progress of your return:

  • Return Received
  • Refund Approved
  • Refund Sent

All you need to have to use this convenient online tool is your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your filing status, and the exact dollar amount of your refund.

You only need to check this tool once a day because the IRS only updates once a day, typically overnight. Don’t worry about wasting time on the phone calling the IRS because anyone you actually speak to on the phone will only be able to give you the same information you can find using the Where’s My Refund? Tool.

Bottom Line

Whether you’ve filed your taxes early or barely made the deadline on April 18th, you can start using the Where’s My Refund? tool on the IRS.gov website within 24 hours. There you’ll find up-to-date information on the status of your refund and even a personalized refund deposit by date once your refund is approved.

If you have questions about your refund or want to know how the friendly tax experts at Maggi Tax can help you save the most on your taxes, be sure to call us at (727) 799-1701 today!

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Palm Harbor, FL 34685

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Lutz, FL 33548

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St. Petersburg, FL 33713

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