Where Is My Refund: Refund Tax Refund Schedule Explained

Tax Refund Checks

The biggest question many people have around tax time is the age-old, “Where’s my refund?” Many tax payers gave a good portion of their money to the IRS throughout the tax year that they are due back and they want that money; now. They don’t want to wait any longer, since it is their money, right? They want to know where their money is, when it will be mailed to them or deposited into their bank account and why they have to wait so long to receive it after they file. The IRS’ official statement regarding tax refunds is that 9 out of 10 taxpayers receive their income tax refund in 21 days or less after filing.

However, there are always exceptions. There are returns with mistakes, returns that are seized by the IRS for back taxes or back child support and so many other issues such as an incorrectly entered bank account or routing number for direct deposits. Additionally, that only applies to income tax returns filed electronically rather than through the mail. Finally, the income tax refund schedule you see online is not officially endorsed by the IRS, so it does not actually hold much weight in explaining to you when to expect your refund check.

In general, the IRS does issue most refunds within 21 days if your return is electronically filed and you choose to have it direct deposited into your bank account. You may begin checking the IRS “Where’s My Refund” page within a few days of filing to find out where your refund is and when it might be deposited into your account. Here is the official word from the IRS regarding tax refunds.

  • Less than 21 days for most returns filed electronically with a direct deposit refund selection
  • Approximately 6 weeks if you mail your return
  • 4 weeks if you electronically file and choose to have a paper check mailed

If you do not receive your refund in this amount of time, the IRS might be able to help you track it down and figure out if there was an issue with your return. However, you cannot obtain any information by calling until it’s been more than 21 days since you filed or more than 4 weeks since you mailed your return.

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