Now that many of us have filed our individual income tax returns, you may be wondering when you can expect your refund. IRS refunds for returns that were e-filed can generally be expected in 10-21 days. However, sometimes this time frame can change as your return moves through processing. You can check on the status of your refund by going to the IRS website at www.irs.gov and clicking on “Where’s My Refund?” You should wait to check until 72 hours after a return has been e-filed, or 4 weeks after a paper return has been mailed. In order to check the status of a refund you will need:
- Social Security Number
- Filing Status
- Exact Refund Amount
While your return is being processed IRS telephone assistance cannot provide additional information so you should not call the IRS toll-free number unless “Where’s My Refund?” specifically indicates that you should. Want to check on a state refund also? Many state websites also provide this option. For Minnesota go to http://taxes.state.mn.us and then to “Check your refund status”.
You can usually find the website for other states’ tax administration assistance by typing the state’s two letter abbreviation and the words “taxation”, “revenue”, or something similar into any internet search engine. Once you’ve found the website, then do a search for “refund”.
