How to Track Your Federal Tax Refund
You collected your receipts all year and dutifully completed your tax return on time. You mailed it out and are expecting a large refund. Well, where is it??? Stop waiting by the mailbox - this article shows you how to check the status of your refund and to see if your return was received by the IRS.
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Things You'll Need
- Your social security or IRS individual taxpayer ID number
- The type of return you filed (individual, married filing joint, married filing separately, etc...)
- The exact amount of the refund due you as stated on your tax return
Instructions
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1
First, you will need some information from the tax return you filed. Get your social security or individual taxpayer ID number from the return(located on page 1, upper right hand corner for all returns). Next, find the filing status (On form 1040 and 1040A it is on page 1, boxes 1 through 5; on form 1040EZ it is either Single or Married Filing a Joint Return). Finally, find the exact refund amount shown on the return (On form 1040 line 73a; on form 1040A line 45a; on form 1040EZ line 12a).
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2
Next, decide if you want to check your status online or over the phone. If you would like to check online, navigate to the IRS website and select "Where's My Refund?" - you can find a direct link in the Resources section at the bottom of this article. If you would like to speak to someone over the phone, call the IRS service hotline at 1-800-829-4059 (extension 462). This hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 7AM to 10PM Eastern time.
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If using the website, simply enter the information you looked up in Step 1 into the appropriate fields and click "Submit". If the system cannot find your refund information, it will ask you for some more information, like the approximate date you mailed the return. If the system still cannot locate your records, it will give you a phone number call with an error code to give to the service representative.
If you decided to call to check on your refund, tell the customer service representative you are inquiring as to the status of your tax return and refund. They will take down your information and will route you to the correct department.
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Tips & Warnings
If you filed a joint return, either person's social security or tax ID number can be used to locate the refund status.
If you believe your refund has become lost or stolen, the IRS website has a Refund Trace feature which will help you track it. However, in this case, I would recommend speaking to a live operator to make sure your issue is resolved quickly.
If your refund was returned to the IRS as undeliverable, there will be an option on the website where you can enter a new address for the refund to be sent to. However, I would again recommend speaking to a representative to resolve this sort of issue.
Most states have similar systems to track state and local refunds. Navigate to your state's Department of Finance or Department of Taxation and you should be able to find more information.
If the IRS says your refund should have arrived already, do not waste time! Contact the IRS immediately to see if the check was cashed.
Be sure to close your web browser completely after using the IRS website so no one will be have access to your confidential information.
