Where is my 2020 tax refund? When you could get it and how to track it

Unless the IRS approves a national tax extension, income tax returns are due no later than April 15. This gives you a little over a month to file your taxes. This year, tax time is not only your opportunity to get back all the money you have overpaid throughout the year (for example through your business withholding tax or a quarterly estimate), but it is also the time to claim missing stimulus check money you never received by depositing a Recovery rebate credit. As long as it has been at least 24 hours since you file your tax return, you can start tracking your refund status online. Our table below can help you determine when your refund might arrive.

If you still need to file your taxes, we suggest you do so online. Electronic filing is more convenient for you and the IRS (the agency is asking people to avoid filing a paper return this year). We also recommend setting up direct deposit to speed up your reimbursement arrival.

We’ll walk you through how to track your 2020 tax refund and what the status of your refund means. Moreover, now that the new stimulus bill has been signed by President Joe Biden, this tax season could mean much more than a simple refund and missing stimulus money. It could also determine your eligibility for a third stimulus control until $ 1,400 (or one smaller payment). The IRS and the Treasury start sending the new checks to a lot of people this weekend via direct deposit. here’s how track your new payment and how your check could be even more targeted, disqualify more people. This story was recently updated.

How to Track Your Tax Refund: Use These Two Methods

You need several things to track the status of your tax refund: your social security number or individual tax ID, your filing status – for example, single, married, or head of household – and the exact amount. of your full dollar refund. , which you will find on your tax return.

Using the IRS Where’s My Refund tool, enter your social security number or ITIN, your deposit status, and the exact amount of your refund, then tap To send. If you have entered your information correctly, you will be redirected to a page showing the status of your refund. Otherwise, you may need to verify your personal tax data and try again. If all of the information looks correct, you’ll need to enter the date you filed your tax returns, as well as how you filed your return – electronically or on paper.

There is also a mobile app, called IRS2Go, which you can use to check the status of your tax refund. The IRS updates this tool’s data overnight each day, so if you don’t see a change in status after 24 hours or more, check back the next day.

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Received, approved or sent: this is what the status of your tax return means

The two IRS tools (online and mobile) will show you one of three messages to explain the status of your tax return.

• Has received: The IRS now has your tax return and is working to process it.
• Approved: The IRS has processed your return and confirmed your refund amount, if you owe any.
• Shipped: Your refund is now sent to your bank by direct deposit or by paper check in your mailbox. (Here’s how change your address now if you have moved.)

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When will my tax refund arrive? We have some ideas below

The IRS says it issues most tax refunds within 21 days, but many people will get their refunds much sooner. If there are any errors, the agency may take longer to process and issue your tax refund. The same goes for people who have filed for an earned income tax credit or Child tax credit.

The date you get your tax refund also depends on how you filed your return.

For example, if the refund is in progress in your bank account by direct deposit, it may take an additional five days for your bank to post it to your account. This means that if it took the IRS the full 21 days to issue your check and your bank five days to mail it, you could wait a total of 26 days to get your money. This is where tracking your refund comes in handy.

If it’s mailed, the IRS says it could take six to eight weeks for your tax refund to arrive. Here are some possible dates you could receive your refund depending on when you deposited.

The deadline for receiving my tax refund has passed. Should I call the IRS to check the status?

While you can call the IRS to verify your status, the agency’s live phone support is extremely limited at this time, so you can wait a while to speak to a representative. Additionally, the IRS says you should only call if it has been 21 or more days since you filed your taxes online or if the Where’s My Refund tool tells you to contact the IRS.

For more information on your taxes, here’s when the The 2021 deadline is to file your tax return, how to claim the missing stimulus money on your taxes and the real reason why you should sign up for direct deposit on your 2020 taxes.

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