How long does it take after you've filed to receive a refund?
You can have a refund check mailed to you, or you can have your refund deposited directly to your checking or savings account. In general, a refund check should be issued within 6 to 8 weeks of filing a paper return. If you have elected on your paper return to receive a direct deposit, the refund should take a week less time to issue.
With e-file, your refund will be issued in half the time as when filing on paper (even faster if you choose direct deposit). Most refunds are issued within 3 weeks. In many cases, you can receive your refund in about 14 days, particularly if you choose direct deposit.
If you do not get your refund within 4 weeks after filing your return, you can call TeleTax at 800-829-4477 24 hours a day to check on your refund status. In some cases, TeleTax may not have refund information until 6 weeks after you file.
How long does it take to get a refund back by direct deposit?
In general, a refund check should be issued within 6 to 8 weeks of filing a paper return. If you have elected on your paper return to receive a direct deposit, the refund should take a week less time to issue.
With e-file, your refund will be issued in half the time as when filing on paper (even faster if you choose direct deposit). Most refunds are issued within 3 weeks. In many cases, you can receive your refund in about 14 days, particularly if you choose direct deposit.
If you do not get your refund within 4 weeks after filing your return, you can call TeleTax at 800-829-4477 24 hours a day to check on your refund status. In some cases, TeleTax may not have refund information until 6 weeks after you file.
Can you direct deposit your refund into someone else's bank account if you do not have a bank account?
No. The account has to be in your name.
Will I be notified when my direct deposit is made or will I have to check with my bank to find out?
You will need to contact your bank to determine when the deposit was made. The deposit will be recorded in your bank statements. However, if you use an automated system to check on your bank account balance, you will know that your refund has been deposited when your balance has increased by the amount of your expected refund.
Can I check on my refund status via Internet?
At the present time, the IRS does not have a system on the Internet to provide the status of your refund.
How can I check on the status of my refund?
Refund information does not become available until it has been 6 weeks since you filed your tax return (3 weeks if you filed electronically or through TeleFile). After waiting the appropriate number of weeks, the fastest, easiest way to find out about your current year refund is to call the Automated Refund Service at 800-829-4477. Be sure to have a copy of your return available since you will need to know the first social security number shown on your return, the filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund. The IRS updates refund information every seven days. Refer to Tax Topic 152, Refunds - How Long They Should Take, for additional information.
References:
I still owe taxes from a previous year and am getting a refund this year. I would like to apply this refund to the taxes I owe. How do I go about doing this?
You may not get all of your refund if you owe certain past-due amounts, such as federal tax, state tax, a student loan, or child support. Your refund will automatically be applied to any outstanding balances.
Can my refund be used to pay other debts?
Under the law, state and Federal agencies refer to the IRS the names of taxpayers who are behind in their support payments, taxes, and loans. Your tax refund may not be refunded to you if you are delinquent in child support payments or you have a past due Federal debt (such as a student loan). Therefore, your refund may be used to pay other debts you owe. For additional information, refer to Tax Topic 203, Failure to Pay Child Support and Other Federal Obligations.
References:
- Tax Topic 203, Failure to Pay Child Support and Other Federal Obligations
Can a person receive a tax refund if they are currently in a payment plan for prior year's federal taxes?
You may not get all of your refund if you owe certain past-due amounts, such as federal tax, state tax, a student loan, or child support. The IRS will automatically apply the refund to the taxes owed. If the refund does not take care of the tax debt; you must continue the installment agreement.
If you are under a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan and due a refund, do you still get it?
If you are in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you should check with your bankruptcy trustee for the status of your refund.
I lost my refund check. How do I get a new one?
Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and ask for the accounts refund department. If your refund check has not been cashed, we can normally provide a replacement within 6 weeks. If your refund check has been cashed, the IRS will provide procedures for you to verify the signature on the cancelled check before determining whether another can be issued.
Do you have to meet the tax filing deadline if you are getting a refund?
If you do not file an original return by the due date, you generally can claim a refund by filing your return within 3 years from the time the tax was paid. Examples of tax paid include federal income tax withheld from wages and estimated income tax. The return must be received by the Internal Revenue Service within the 3-year period.
If there is a subsequent adjustment to a late filed return that results in an underpayment of tax, you may be assessed a penalty for failure to file on time. The penalty is usually 5% for each month or part of a month that the return is late, but not more than 25%. An example of a subsequent adjustment that results in an underpayment of tax is an examination of your return with changes that increase your total tax owed.
I filed a joint return and am expecting a refund. What happens if one party forges the signature to get the refund?
You may request a copy of the front and back of the cancelled refund check that was issued in your name. You may also request a copy of the original tax return filed under your name. Call 800-829-1040 and follow the IRS representative's instructions for verifying the signature on your tax return or cancelled refund check.
Is it possible to find out if a federal tax refund check has been cashed?
If you need to know whether a federal tax refund check that was issued to you has been cashed, you can call 800-829-1040 and request Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund.
If you are inquiring about a check that was issued to someone other than yourself, the IRS is not allowed under the Privacy Act of 1974 to disclose any information.
References:
- Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund
Does IRS permit the U.S. Post Office to forward refund checks?
Yes.
My ex-husband owes me child support. How can I find out if he has filed and if I will receive his federal return this year?
An individual's tax return is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974. Therefore, the IRS is restricted from releasing information concerning your ex-husband's account. However, if your state office of child support enforcement has notified the Treasury of a past-due child support obligation, the IRS will notify you of the amount of any refund offset and to whom it was sent.
References:
If our tax refund is being confiscated for back child support my husband owes, how can I file to get back or keep my portion of the refund?
When a joint return is filed and only one spouse owes past-due child and spousal support or a federal debt, the other spouse can be considered an injured spouse and may request his or her share of the joint refund. If this situation applies to you, file Form 8379, Injured Spouse Claim and Allocation, to recover your share of the joint refund.
You are considered an injured spouse if you:
- file a joint tax return,
- have received income (such as wages, interest, etc.)
- have made tax payments (such as withholding)
- report the income and tax payments on the joint return, and
- have a refund due, all or part of which was, or is expected to be, applied against your spouse's past-due amount.
Refer also to our Frequently Asked Question section on Injured Spouse in the IRS Procedures section.
References:
- Form 8379, Injured Spouse Claim and Allocation
- Tax Topic 203, Failure to Pay Child Support and Other Federal Obligations
What is the legal procedure I need to follow in order to obtain my ex-husband's tax refund or refunds due to unpaid child support?
You must file a claim with your local office of child support enforcement. For more information, follow the state link at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families Office of Child Support Enforcement.
References:
The Child Support Enforcement Agency said I would get my ex-husband's federal income tax refund if he has one. He owes me child support. I still have had no word about any refund. How can I find out if he filed at all this year?
An individual's tax return is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974. Therefore, the IRS is restricted from releasing information concerning your ex-husband's account. However, if your state office of child support enforcement has notified the Treasury of a past-due child support obligation, the IRS will notify you of the amount of any refund offset and to whom it was sent.
References:
If I file jointly and my husband owes back child support, will my refund be applied towards his obligation until his debt with children services is paid?
If you are due a refund but have not paid certain amounts you owe, such as child support, all or part of your refund may be used to pay all or part of the past-due amount. This applies to a joint return. When a joint return is filed and only one spouse owes past-due child and spousal support or a federal debt, the other spouse can be considered an injured spouse and may request his or her share of the joint refund. If this situation applies to you, file Form 8379, Injured Spouse Claim and Allocation, to recover your share of the joint refund.
References:
- Form 8379, Injured Spouse Claim and Allocation
- Tax Topic 203, Failure to Pay Child Support and Other Federal Obligations
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