Since the start of tax season, millions of people have gotten their refunds. If you are still waiting, follow these steps. The 2024 tax return may still be pending for those who filed it on or before the April 15 tax deadline. As the deadline draws near, the IRS frequently starts to build up a backlog, so it is always best to file your return as soon as possible to prevent these delays. In general, if the return is submitted online, the IRS can provide a refund within 21 days. The 21-day timeframe would end on Tuesday, April 29, for individuals who filed on April 15.
This is the reason that could be causing slow refunds in the US
Your file was likely incorrect, missing information, or incomplete if you haven’t received your return yet. The IRS will try to get in touch with you so you may fix any mistakes if this is the case with your return. The agency will not issue a refund until the errors have been fixed. Refunds for those who file on paper could take up to six months to arrive. The “Where’s My Refund?” function is available online from the IRS. After supplying their Social Security number, the refund amount, and their tax filing status, this enables taxpayers to monitor the status of their reimbursement.
You should have all of this information on hand for reference when you return. Twenty-four hours following the submission of a filing, information becomes available. Keep in mind that this tool will display a new status and prompt you to make corrections if the IRS flags your return as having a mistake. This function, however, necessitates filing your return electronically rather than on paper. The following details will be provided to you by the tool’s web portal after your return has been handled and your reimbursement has been verified:
- Date of receipt of your tax return by the IRS
- Verification that your reimbursement has been authorized
- Confirmation that the reimbursement has been issued and is en route to your account.
For individuals who filed a paper return and have not noticed any changes to their filing status, the IRS has a help desk at 1-800-829-4477. The IRS can be contacted at 800-829-1040 for tax refund status checks if it has been 21 days or more since e-filing or six weeks since mailing a paper return, as indicated in the Where’s My Refund? Guide. It is not advised to call outside of these times, as the IRS agents will not be able to give you more details about the status of your tax return.
Refunds in the United States can vary depending on the state in which you currently reside
Upgraded Points recently released a study that found that a New York county had one of the highest average federal tax refund amounts in the United States. New York County, which includes Manhattan, a borough of New York City, has the tenth-highest average tax refund in the nation. The study examined data from the IRS’s filing season statistics and the individual income tax return (Form 1040) statistics from 2022 to determine the average refund amounts by states and counties. This was done by dividing the total dollar amount of refunds by the number of individual tax returns that received refunds in each location.
According to Upgraded Points data, the average federal tax refund over the last 15 years has ranged between $2,800 and $3,000. But during the 2020 filing season, COVID caused a bit of a shockwave, lowering the average refund to $2,549. Additionally, when pandemic-era tax credits sunsetted, the percentage of refunds fell 13% between 2021 and 2024, even though the nation recovered significantly and the average refund reached a record $3,252 by 2022.
