How to Check a Kentucky State Tax Return

If you live within the state of Kentucky and have filed a state tax return, it is always a good idea to give the Kentucky Department of Revenue time to process it first. And then, you can determine both the federal tax refund status and the Kentucky state tax refund status simultaneously if you prefer.

But it helps to know how long to wait and how to check your KY tax return status even as you wait for the processing to happen.

​Read More​: Filing Your 2021 State Income Taxes in Kentucky

If you file paper returns, you should be ready to wait a while. It will take anywhere from ​eight to 12 weeks​ for them to be processed. And until that happens, you may check the KY refund status and find zero information.

Electronic returns are a much better option though. They usually take ​two to three weeks​ to process. But if you choose to submit your payment through paper checks, you will need to wait for ​four weeks​ before the processing is complete.

Federal tax returns have a shorter processing time than state tax returns. If you file paper returns, you should wait ​six to eight weeks​ for a refund. However, if you opted for electronic returns, you can get your refunds in ​three weeks or less​, especially if you chose direct deposit.

Many reasons exist for why you may end up getting your refund later than you anticipate. Below are some of them.

• If you choose a slower payment method, such as paper checks instead of direct deposit, your state refund will take longer.
• If you filed using paper returns, you will get your refund later than those who opted for electronic filing.
• If you made mistakes when filing your returns, you must first amend the information and then, wait for the refund due to you. Common mistakes include excluding your Social Security Number (SSN), making the wrong calculations, submitting the wrong bank account and routing numbers, misspelling your names, using the wrong filing status and incorrectly figuring out your credits and deductions. Other errors include using an expired taxpayer identification number and forgetting your signature.
• If you owe delinquent state taxes or other public agency taxes, your refund is likely to be delayed and even reduced drastically.
• If your estimated tax payments don’t match those on record, there will be delays concerning the refund.

Typically, those who opt for electronic filing tend to have fewer mistakes. That is because the tax filing software will flag most inaccurate information, thus giving you the chance to rectify it before submitting your return.

One way to check your refund status is to first log in to your tax electronic filing account and check whether the return has been accepted in the first place.

You can then check the KY refund status on the Kentucky Department of Revenue website. Its online tool enables you to find out your refund status for the current year only.

If you want to obtain the previous years’ refund statuses, you should call ​(502) 564-4581​ and ask to speak to an examiner. However, you must wait for at least ​20 weeks​ for the previous years’ returns to be processed.

The information you need to include to check your refund KY tax refund status includes:

• The complete nine-digit SSN that you used on your state tax return
• The exact amount of tax refund you expect in whole dollars as it appeared on your return

Once you have provided the information required, you can check your refund status.

Remember, if the processing time is incomplete, you are unlikely to determine your refund status. But it never hurts to try.

​Read More​: Filing Your Income Tax Return