Complete Tax

Are you expecting a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this year? Most of us are. And it's not unusual to get a bit anxious as we wait for the refund after filing the return. What you may not know is that IRS understands our anxiety, and has several helpful ways in which we can check the status of our refunds while we wait. Here are seven things the IRS thinks you should know about checking the status of your refund once you have filed your federal tax return.

• Online access to refund information can be found at Where's My Refund? or ¿Dónde está mi reembolso?, the interactive tools on the IRS website. It is the fastest, easiest way to get information about your federal income tax refund. Whether you split your refund among several accounts, opted for direct deposit into one account, used part of your refund to buy U.S. savings bonds or asked the IRS to mail you a check, Where's My Refund? and ¿Dónde está mi reembolso? give you online access to your refund information nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's quick, easy and secure.
• If you e-file your federal income tax return, you can get information about the status of your refund 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your return. If you file a paper return, refund information will generally be available three to four weeks after mailing your return. (Sounds like a great reason to e-file your tax return, doesn't it!)
• When checking the status of your refund, make sure you have your federal tax return handy, because you will need some specific information from the return in order to get your personalized refund information. Here are the items you will need to enter in order to receive your status report:
  • Your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number;
  • Your filing status--Single, Married Filing Joint Return, Married Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er); and
  • The exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your tax return.
• Once you enter your personal information, you could get several responses from the online response system, including:
• Acknowledgement that your return was received and is in processing;
• The mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund; or
• Notice that the IRS could not deliver your refund due to an incorrect address. If this is the case, you may be able to change or correct your address online using Where's My Refund?.
• Where's My Refund? also includes links to customized information based on your specific situation. The links guide you through the steps you need to take to resolve any issue affecting your refund. For example, if you do not get the refund within 28 days from the original IRS mailing date shown on Where's My Refund?, you may be able to start a refund trace.
• Where's My Refund? is also accessible to visually impaired taxpayers who use the Job Access with Speech (JAWS) screen reader used with a Braille display. It is compatible with various JAWS modes.
• If you do not have internet access, you can check the status of your refund in English or Spanish by calling the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954 or the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477. When calling, you must provide your Social Security number or your spouse's Social Security number, the filing status used when filing the return for which the refund is claimed, and the exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your return.

The IRS normally sends out refund checks weekly on Fridays. If you check the status of your refund and are not given the date it will be issued, you should wait until the following week before checking back again.

And, last but not least, the sooner you get your tax return filed, the sooner you can expect your refund, so what are you waiting for! File your return as soon as possible, and beat the mad rush just before the April 15 deadline!

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Posted March 5, 2010.