Waiting on money you were counting on is a special kind of stressful, and the not-knowing is usually worse than the waiting. So let's take the mystery out of it.
Start with the official status tool
Before anything else, check the IRS Where's My Refund tool and your state's equivalent. It's the same information a preparer sees. You'll need your filing status, your Social Security number or ITIN, and the exact refund amount from your return.
Only use the official IRS site and your state's official revenue site. Never enter your information on a lookalike page that turned up in an ad, and never pay a fee to check your own refund status.
The common reasons a refund sits
1. Identity verification
The IRS sometimes needs to confirm you are you before releasing money. This usually arrives as a letter asking you to verify your identity. Nothing moves until you respond, and the letter is easy to mistake for junk mail.
2. A mismatch with what was reported about you
If a number on your return doesn't line up with a W-2, 1099 or other document an employer or payer filed, the return goes to review. A corrected document that arrived after you filed is a very common cause.
3. Certain credits get extra review
Some refundable credits carry additional processing steps by law, which can push the release date later in the season even when everything on the return is fine.
4. An offset
A refund can be reduced or taken to cover certain past-due debts. When that happens, a notice explaining the offset is generally issued, and it tells you which agency to contact.
5. Simple bank or address trouble
A closed account, a transposed routing number, or a paper check going to an old address will all stall a refund that was otherwise approved.
What to do right now
- Check the official status tool before you do anything else.
- Open every piece of mail from the IRS or your state, even if it looks like a form letter.
- Pull your copy of the return and compare the income documents to what you actually received.
- Respond to any letter by the date it names, and keep a copy of what you send.
- Keep notes: dates, who you talked to, what they said.
We can't make the IRS move faster and nobody honestly can. What we can do is read the notice with you, tell you what it's actually asking for, and help you respond correctly the first time so the file keeps moving.