When to expect your IRS tax refund, and how to track the status of your money - CNET

Delays can be frustrating for those planning to use their refunds to pay bills or for everyday expenses.

Angela Lang/CNET

Still no tax refund? You're not alone. The IRS is experiencing long processing times for a number of reasons, including manual processing of millions of tax returns. Unfortunately, that means your refund could take a few months to arrive. The agency is also busy sending out weekly batches of stimulus payments and recalculating taxes paid on jobless benefits, since those who are eligible for tax unemployment refunds could get them soon.

So how do you check on the status of your tax refund online? With two IRS tools, you can see if there's an issue with your refund or if it's on its way. (You could also call the IRS for help, but that's pretty iffy.) Also, we'll tell you what it means if you've received a direct deposit labeled "IRS TREAS 310."

There are also ways to track your third stimulus check if that hasn't arrived. Or you might want to check if the government is holding back wages you need to claim. If you have children, here's how to calculate how much money you could get through the expanded child tax credit payments this year, which are set to begin on July 15. We update this story regularly. 

Why are there so many tax refund delays this year?

Because of the pandemic, the IRS ran at limited capacity in 2020, which put a strain on its ability to process tax returns and send out stimulus checks. The IRS is open again and processing mail, tax returns, payments, refunds and correspondence, the agency said, but the pandemic continues to cause delays in some services.

The IRS said it's issuing most refunds in less than 21 days right now but some are taking longer, including for mailed paper tax returns. The IRS said it's also taking longer than 21 days to issue refunds for some 2020 tax returns that require review, such as determining recovery rebate credit amounts for the first and second stimulus checks or figuring earned income tax credit and additional child tax credit amounts.

Here's a list of reasons your refund might be delayed: 

• Your tax return has errors.
• It's incomplete.
• Your refund has been affected by identity theft or fraud.
• You filed for the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit.
• Your return needs further review.
• Your return includes Form 8379, injured spouse allocation -- this could take 14 weeks to process.

Check the status of your tax refund online, here's how

To check the status of your income tax refund using the IRS trackers, you need several things on hand: your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your filing status -- single, married or head of household -- and your refund amount in whole dollars, which you can find on your tax return. Also, make sure it's been at least 24 hours before you try tracking your refund.

Using the IRS tool Where's My Refund, enter your SSN or ITIN, your filing status and your exact refund amount, then press Submit. If you entered your information correctly, you'll be taken to a page that shows your refund status. If not, you may be asked to verify your personal tax data and try again. If all the information looks correct, you'll need to enter the date you filed your taxes, along with whether you filed electronically or on paper.

The IRS also has a mobile app called IRS2Go that checks your tax refund status. The IRS updates the data in this tool overnight, so if you don't see a status change after 24 hours or more, check back the following day.

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What different IRS messages mean regarding your tax refund

Both IRS tools (online and mobile app) will show you one of three messages to explain your tax return status.

• Received: The IRS now has your tax return and is working to process it.
• Approved: The IRS has processed your return and confirmed the amount of your refund, if you're owed one.
• Sent: Your refund is now on its way to your bank via direct deposit or as a paper check to your mailbox. (Here's how to change the address on file if you moved.)

Why you might get an IRS 310 direct deposit

If you receive your tax refund by direct deposit, you may see IRS TREAS 310 for the transaction. The 310 identifies the transaction as an IRS tax refund. This would also apply to those receiving an automatic adjustment on their tax return or a refund due to new legislation on tax-free unemployment benefits. You may also see TAX REF in the description field for a refund.

If you see a 449 instead, it means your refund has been offset for delinquent debt.

How do you track tax unemployment refunds? 

Those who collected unemployment benefits in 2020 and filed their tax returns early have started to receive additional tax refunds from the IRS. Under new rules from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, millions of people who paid tax on unemployment compensation could be eligible for a hefty sum of money back. 

However, it might not be possible to track the status of that refund using the online tools above. To find out when the IRS processed your refund and for how much, we recommend locating your tax transcript by logging into your account and viewing the transactions listed there. We explain how to do that here. 

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How long might you have to wait for your tax refund?

The IRS usually issues tax refunds within three weeks, but some taxpayers are waiting over a month to receive their payments. If there are any errors, it might take the agency longer to process and issue your tax refund. The same goes for people who filed a claim for an earned income tax credit or the child tax credit. (Here's who qualifies for the child tax credit.)

The date you get your tax refund also depends on how you filed your return. For example, with refunds going into your bank account via direct deposit, it could take an additional five days for your bank to post the money to your account. This means if it took the IRS the full 21 days to issue your check and your bank five days to post it, you may be waiting a total of 26 days to get your money. 

If you submitted your tax return by mail, the IRS says it could take six to eight weeks for your tax refund to arrive. That's where tracking your refund comes in handy. 

Can you call the IRS with questions? 

While you can call the IRS to check your status, the agency's live phone assistance is extremely limited right now, so you may wait on hold for a while to speak to a representative. Also, the IRS says you should only call 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 contact the IRS. Here's the number to call: 800-829-1040.

For more information about your 2020 taxes, here's how to claim missing stimulus money on your taxes and everything to know about the third stimulus check.

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