There's absolutely no reason to
think that there is anything wrong with your tax return, simply because your boyfriend received his tax refund earlier than you, so please don't
worry or be concerned. No two tax returns are identical, and so they move through the
IRS processing system at various speeds. Other factors causing delays and increased refund
processing times for many people this year are several new laws and executive orders
that the IRS has been charged with implementing, including those of the 2015 PATH act.
If your tax return ever is
chosen for further review, or an actual audit, then the IRS will definitely let you know about it. In fact, if you have not visited this internet site already, you may wish to "check up" on the status of your tax return (and refund) at the IRS.gov website known as the "Where's My Refund" tool. Here is a courtesy link to that webpage:
https://www.irs.gov/refunds
Please note that the messages and bars on the Where's
My Refund webpage change all of the time; and sometimes the same message is
displayed continuously, or the bars disappear entirely. Such behavior is considered normal.
Taxpayers who do have their returns
held for review, or who expect to receive an IRS notice, tell us that this
message appears clearly on the Where's My Refund website. Any delay in receiving your individual refund could also because the
IRS is checking for additional information on something related to your tax
return (like matching your reported W-2 data with that separately reported to
the IRS by your employer); but we wouldn't call that a review . . . perhaps
only a delay.
If
enough time passes after filing (21 days after e-file, or 6 weeks after
paper file), and you still don't have your tax refund, the IRS
indicates that you can call them, using the
phone number provided on their Where's My Refund website.
Above all, the best recommended course of
action is patience. The IRS doesn't move nearly as fast as taxpayers would
sometimes like (especially when waiting for a
refund). Also, as noted above, the 2016 tax year may be particularly
slow, due to factors that are outside of our control.
If you are asking about your state tax refund instead, then the bulk of the advice above is still relevant, although instead of the IRS.gov webpage, you would want to look on the internet for your state department of revenue equivalent site. Most states these days maintain such a taxpayer-oriented website, to update on the processing status of state returns, and refunds.
Thank you for asking
this question.
