We have received many calls from clients this year inquiring about the status of their tax refund. Though certainly not an ideal problem to have, we can tell you that you are not alone if this situation applies to you.
In a normal year, the Internal Revenue Service processes most refunds in two to three weeks depending on the complexity of your tax return. This year, the IRS is playing catch up for tax year 2019 and is trying to process the plethora of 2020 tax returns coming in. As of May 1, 2021, there was a backlog of 12.9 million paper tax returns waiting to be processed. 2.5 million of those returns were filed in 2020 and 10.4 million received in 2021. There were also 15.1 million returns suspended during processing; these returns require a representative to review the legitimacy of different aspects of the return. These suspended returns consisted mostly of e-filed returns. There are another 2.5 million amended returns waiting to be processed. This could cause a delay in your refund being processed within the normal amount of time.
What are my options if my refund has been delayed?
- The IRS has a “Where’s my Refund” option that allows you to enter your return information and will tell you what part your return is in the process. This link will take you to that part of the IRS website https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp.
- You can also create an account on the IRS website that allows you to look up other information about your return. If you haven’t paid your balance due, this is also where you can see the balance you owe and pay that balance.
What if the IRS says that they don’t have my tax return?
There is a possibility that your return hasn’t posted to the website and you will get a response saying that “They show no information from the amounts you entered and to try again later.” Don’t panic! This does not mean they don’t have your return and you need to send it again. If you send the return again this will severely delay the processing of the return. The best thing you can do is to be patient and check “Where’s my Refund” every few days to see if there are any updates.
Please give our office a call if you have any questions! We are happy to help with your individual situation.
