Make sure when checking your refund status on the Where's My Refund? site, to only enter your federal income amount, not federal and state combined. Another important factor can be if you are married filing jointly and make sure you are using the Social Security Number for the name that appears first on the return.
If your return was accepted and the information is being entered correctly in WMR and still no status, the IRS website only updates once a day, usually during the overnight hours, I would check back to see if it has updated, this is normal.
Here is the general timeline of e-filed returns:
Transmission > Acceptance > Processing > Approval > Refund.
If you claimed Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) and/or Additional Child Tax Credit, this may be the reason for the delay, due to the Path Act. The IRS started issuing tax refunds on returns with the EIC or Additional Child Tax Credit on February 27, 2019. If this is not the case, I have listed some additional reasons your refund may be taking longer.
Even though the IRS issues 9 out of 10 tax refunds within 21 days, it's possible your return may require additional review and take longer to process.
For some taxpayers, PATH Act requirements and other identity-protection safeguards implemented by the IRS may account for longer wait times.
Other things that can delay your refund include but are not limited to:
- Liens, back taxes, or refund offsets;
- Errors, inconsistencies, or missing information;
- Identity fraud;
- Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which can take 11-14 weeks to process.
Also, if you chose direct deposit, your financial institution may need another day or two to post the refund to your account, so keep that in mind.
You can contact the IRS directly and see if they can give you any details on your tax return status:
Please call 800-829-1040 and do the following:
1. Press 1 for English listen to the recorded message
2. Press 2 for answers about personal income taxes listen to the recorded message
3. Press 1 for questions about a form you already submitted
4. Press 3 for all other questions
5. Press 2 for all other questions
6. Enter your social or ein confirm type (social or ein) and confirm if the number is right by pressing 1
7. Listen to all options then it will say if you have not heard your topic please hold
8. Next, it will say if you owe money and agree with the amount press 1
You will then be transferred to a representative after a general message from the IRS
(Note: If call volume is too high they will ask you to call back)
