IRS promises your refund within three weeks — usually

More people are getting bigger federal tax refunds this year, but not everyone will be getting their refund within the 21 days the Internal Revenue Service promised.

The IRS in recent statement said it “cautions taxpayers not to rely on receiving a refund by a certain date, especially when making major purchases or paying bills.”

It explained “some returns may require additional review and may take longer. Also, remember to take into consideration the time it takes for a financial institution to post the refund to an account or to receive it by mail.”

The good news: Most people filing returns electronically, with no errors and no unusual circumstances, should see the refund in their account within 21 days.

IRS reported that as of March 11, it had issued 45.3 million refunds and taxpayers got an average refund of $3,352. That’s up from $2,967 last year, when there were no child tax credits or some other breaks in effect in 2021.

Claudia Stanley, a certified public accountant in Fresno, said she believed people are getting refunds in a timely fashion this year.

“I’ve had a few clients comment back to me that they got their refund and no complaints so far of refunds not coming through,” she said.

If there is a need to contact the IRS, though, consumers are likely to still find frustration. Erin Collins, the National Taxpayer Advocate reported last month callers to the IRS had a difficult time reaching an agency employee.

She said the problem was a “toxic combination” of inadequate staffing, COVID-19-related problems, and new tasks assigned to the agency, such as distributing economic stimulus payments. Last year, callers to the IRS’ toll free line reached an employee 11% of the time, Collins said.

IRS has been trying to hire more people to help resolve the problem.

“Getting through to the IRS is still challenging,” said Stanley. “I had a stack of issues to resolve that kept mounting through February as I couldn’t get through even on the practitioner priority service line. Finally, in early March I was able to get through several times.”

When will I get my refund?

The IRS urges people to check the Where’s My Refund? website to track progress of a refund.

Among the potential areas where IRS advises people to be very careful:

Child tax credit. Parents who received monthly credits last year, starting in July, can claim the other six months of credit on their returns. The IRS sent out letters to qualifying parents, Letter 6419. If the information on the return needs to be corrected, the refund is likely to be delayed.

Stimulus payments. Some people qualified for 2021 economic stimulus payments but did not receive them. They can claim the payment on their tax return and should have an IRS letter sent in January or February detailing how much they received. Delays in refunds are possible if the information the taxpayer provides is incorrect. Stanley has found that’s a big help in getting prompt refunds. “This kept us from relying on sketchy memories which is what caused so much delay last year,” she said.

Routine errors. If IRS finds a mathematical error, or a crucial piece of information is missing, it can hold up the return.

AJC FILE The IRS in recent statement said it “cautions taxpayers not to rely on receiving a refund by a certain date, especially when making major purchases or paying bills.”