Many taxpayers are frustrated by IRS delays and a lack of information from Where’s My Refund
Going into this tax season we knew that refunds were going to be delayed. Right off the bat the IRS increased the time frame within which most people can expect their refund. Instead of the old 8-15 days it suddenly became “under 21 days.”
Then the fiscal cliff nuttiness in Congress pushed the start of the season back two weeks to January 30th. These two changes alone meant that lots of people would be getting their money 2-3 weeks later than usual.
But as the tax season has progressed, the IRS has run into even more problems. Before the start of the season this year the IRS made some changes to its system to try to cut down on instances of tax fraud and identity theft, which affected over a million taxpayers last year. This is a huge relief to anyone who’s had their Social Security number or refund stolen.
Once the season started, however, the IRS discovered some problems with this new system that required a little fine-tuning. These adjustments caused many returns to be delayed for an additional week.
Now the IRS is experiencing even more delays, many of which are affecting the Where’s My Refund tool that millions of taxpayers check obsessively to track the progress of their refund. For many, the tool has been providing absolutely no information about when they can expect their refund. The IRS hopes to have the problem resolved within a few days, but for now, all anxious taxpayers can do is wait.
The message from the IRS reads:
We are aware that some taxpayers who have filed electronically and received an acknowledgement from the IRS are concerned when they visit ‘Where’s My Refund’ and are told that we have no information regarding their return. This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days. At that time, taxpayers will be able to get an expected refund date when they visit ‘Where’s My Refund.’
Here’s what you can do: be patient. Repeatedly calling the IRS and complaining isn’t going to get your money any faster. In fact, it’s probably just slowing the agency down. The same goes for your tax preparer. They are not in control of your return, the do not have any inside information from the IRS, and they cannot do anything to speed that agency’s processing of your return.
If your return was accepted by the IRS, rest assured that they have it and they are working as fast as a massive federal bureaucracy can to get your refund out to you. Keep calm and, well, carry on.
Photo via [ rachael ] on Flickr.
I Paid H&R Block…$400 Dollars, Within The 21days…from March the 5th…Still Haven’t Receive My Funds. I Want Some of That Money Back?! Don’t Tell Us One Thing and Do Another…
We had H&R Block prepare our taxes and for some reason they said we couldn’t efile so I printed out the already prepared form and attached our 1099’s and sent it on the 16th of February. I check every day and they say it is still being processed. Now, what’s the holdup. We are both retired and could sure put our tax return to good use. We have never, in 44 years, been made to wait so long. Even when there was no such thing as E-file. It has been a month and a half! Come on. Really?
I receive ketters from irs telling me someone filed for refund with my signature on feb 11.2013.I ma raul a villarreal jr…last 4 digits of my ss nbr r 4113.and I filed my 2012 taxes through turbo tax..e file…I did not file paper form.and it has taken to long for mor irs to send me my refund..I’m tired of irs writing up excuses and causing problems..irs even owes me for the 2011 tax filing..pls send me my refun to me asap..thank u.
H&R Block E-filed on 2/2/13. The IRS accepted it on 2/2/13. Guess what? Still no refund. The answer I get is that my return is still being processed.
Where is the accountability? Whenever someone owes the Federal Government, they just come and take what they think is theirs. On top of that, they charge you interest. I purposely have more taxes withheld from my earning throughout the year, essentially giving them and interest free loan. Now when it’s time to pay me back, I get this!!! I should get my return, PLUS the INTEREST!