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Get your taxes done using TurboTax
The IRS can take
as long as they want to process the return and there is nothing you can do
about it but wait patiently. They are processed individually these days so
returns sent in at the same time will not necessarily process together or in
the order they are received. The IRS states that 9 of 10 returns will process
in 21 days or less. However considering that the IRS processes more than 140
million returns which means 14 million will be delayed for more than 21
days. There are no refund charts to refer to anymore so don't plan on
your refund being in your account on any certain date then you won't be
disappointed or overdrawn. It is possible that you get a DD
date posted by the IRS and then a moment before the refund is released it
gets put on hold while the IRS reviews the account which can delay it for
months.
Think of the IRS process as a long pipe line.
Some returns will be rejected before being allowed into the pipe and the rest
will be accepted. Then once accepted into the pipeline many will process
directly through without any delays and some will not. Some returns
will be siphoned off for further review of some kind. The basis of what
triggers these reviews is a well guarded secret but some are just picked
randomly every year.
Some reviews are automated and some will require
human attention. The processing times will vary but, due to the continued under
staffing situation and budget cuts the IRS had been subject to, they
are likely to be much longer again this year.
It
has been reported that some of the delay
this year is due to the new anti fraud security screenings that were
implemented.
https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/New-Security-Safeguards
First -- verify that your returns have been filed and
accepted -- then check the fed & state web sites to see where
you are in the process-
Check Your E-File Status on this Secure TurboTax
website
https://turbotax.intuit.com/efile/efile_status_lookup.jsp
- It will show the date you transmitted your
return and if it was accepted or rejected.
- Both your Federal and State will be listed
separately if you filed both.
- It will tell you when you E-filed
- The electronic filing date
See the following TurboTax support article on
checking your e-file status - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1908859-how-do-i-look-up-the-status-of-my-e-filed-return
For the Feds:
http://www.irs.gov/Refunds/Where's-My-Refund-It's-Quick,-Easy,-and-Secure
https://www.irs.gov/Refunds/What-to-Expect-for-Refunds-This-Year
https://www.irs.gov/Refunds/Tax-Season-Refund-Frequently-Asked-Questions
For the states:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899433-how-do-i-track-my-state-refund
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901670-how-do-i-contact-my-state-department-of-revenue
If it's been more than 90 days since the return was accepted then you can ask for help from the Tax Payer Advocate office:
At the following IRS
website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the
number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate.
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-a-Local-Taxpayer-Advocate
If you are unsuccessful with the Taxpayer Advocate for your area, you can also
try the special IRS phone number for the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778.
More info on the Taxpayer Advocate Service:
http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about/who-we-are
http://www.irs.gov/Advocate/Taxpayer-Advocate-Service-6
Also see this article for more info on how the Taxpayer Advocate Service works:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc104.html
