In some cases, you can call the IRS to check the status of your tax return. Individual taxpayers can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 if: It's been 21 days or more since you e-filed your return. It's been six weeks since you mailed a paper tax return.
If you don't receive your refund in 21 days, your tax return might need further review. This may happen if your return was incomplete or incorrect. The IRS may send you instructions through the mail if it needs additional information in order to process your return.
The IRS is taking more than 21 days (and up to 90 to 120 days), to issue refunds for tax returns with the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. You should only contact the IRS if: It's been 21 days or more since you e-filed.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.
It is also taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue refunds for some tax returns that require review including incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit amounts, or that used 2019 income to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
Reasons Your Tax Refund Can Be Delayed
Missing information. A need for additional review. Possible identity theft or tax fraud. A claim for an earned income tax credit or an additional child tax credit.
The IRS can take as long as they want to process the return and there is nothing you can do about it but wait patiently. They are processed individually these days so returns sent in at the same time will not necessarily process together or in the order they are received.
Return Being Processed Means The IRS Received Your Tax Return, But It Could Still Be Delayed. Many taxpayers use the Where's My Refund tool and wonder what "Return being processed" means for them and their refund. The answer: not much yet!
If you filed on paper, it may take 6 months or more to process your tax return. For service delay details, see Status of Operations. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
Many different factors can affect the timing of a refund after the IRS receives a return. A manual review may be necessary when a return has errors, is incomplete or is affected by identity theft or fraud.
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.
Is There a Delay on 2022 Tax Refunds? Last year, many taxpayers ended up waiting longer than the usual 21 days — some as long as eight weeks — to receive their refunds as the IRS was dealing with the backlog of returns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The IRS is still working through this backlog of 2020 tax returns.
If you still aren't sure what happened with your refund, contact an IRS representative at IRS Tax Help Line for Individuals – 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059).
Though the chances of getting live assistance are slim, the IRS says you should only call the agency directly if it's been 21 days or more since you filed your taxes online, or if the Where's My Refund tool tells you to. You can call 800-829-1040 or 800-829-8374 during regular business hours.
If you have the “Still being processed” message If you have this message don't panic when you see this message. This is a generic message that simply means that the IRS cannot guarantee you a tax refund within the original 21-day time frame.
If you are seeing this refund status “still being processed” it means the IRS can no longer guarantee your refund within the 21-day time frame. In some cases, the IRS will correct the issue without further information being needed and you will update from this message to the “being processed refund status.
After 60 days, you'd need to file an amended return to reverse any errors and get your refund back. If the IRS thinks you claimed erroneous deductions or credits, the IRS can hold your refund.
Before you assume the worst, remember: Sometimes a delay is just a delay. If you haven't heard anything three weeks after filing your return, it's time to check in with the IRS.
If you were expecting a federal tax refund and did not receive it, check the IRS' Where's My Refund page. You'll need to enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund. You may be prompted to change your address online.
If my refund on the IRS website says still processing does it mean I will be audited? There's absolutely no reason to necessarily think that you're under review or that an audit is pending, so please don't worry. The "processing" message you see is perfectly normal. In fact, the messages and bars on the IRS.
An incomplete return, an inaccurate return, an amended return, tax fraud, claiming tax credits, owing certain debts for which the government can take part or all of your refund, and sending your refund to the wrong bank due to an incorrect routing number are all reasons that a tax refund can be delayed.
Your return could have been flagged as fraudulent because of identity theft or fraud. Some returns are taking longer because of corrections needed that are related to the earned-income tax credit and the pandemic-related stimulus payments (officially termed a “Recovery Rebate Credit”).
If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
Refund Timing
Some common issues which may extend processing times: You filed your return on paper. Refunds from amended returns are generally issued within 16 weeks. Please note that due to COVID-19 processing delays, it's taking us more than 20 weeks to process amended returns.
If you haven't received your tax refund after at least 21 days of filing online or six months of mailing your paper return, go to a local IRS office or call the federal agency (check out our list of IRS phone numbers that could get you help faster).