Sounds good. When do I get my money?
Is my refund guaranteed to be on time?
What if there's an error on my tax return?
Why would IRS reject my tax return?
I need my money faster - can you help?
Can I fax my tax return directly to IRS for
free?
My tax return is complex. Can I still e-file?
I owe IRS this year. How do I pay my tax if
I e-file my return?
Can you e-file my state tax return?
Is your fee deducted from my account when the
refund comes in?
Is my tax information kept confidential?
Are there real people handling my tax information,
or is this some kind of Supercomputer?
Sounds good. When do I get my money?
Tax Year 2012 was the first year that IRS did not deposit refunds according
to a weekly Refund Cycle, instead advising taxpayers to check the “Where’s
My Refund?” link at
www.irs.gov for an individualized refund deposit date.
Tax Year 2017 refunds for simpler returns were generally faster than in
previous years, often arriving in 5 to 7 business days. More complex returns
tended to adhere to the old standard of 8 to 15 days after acceptance.
IRS support staff will not discuss the status of a refund unless it has gone
beyond their 21-day published objective.
“Where’s My Refund?” includes a tracker that
displays your tax return’s progress through three stages:
1. Return Received
2. Refund Approved
3. Refund Sent
Return progress can be updated by IRS on a daily basis instead of weekly as
in previous years, and the Refund Sent date will be actual instead of
estimated.
Overall acceptance-to-deposit timeframe is expected to be similar to last
year for tax returns that are not pulled for review.
If you do not want to have your refund direct-deposited you can receive your refund check by mail, but last year these took a week longer to receive.
Is my refund guaranteed to be on time?
Our experience has been that about 95% of all refunds are deposited within the expected timeframe. We've seen 5% or so held back by IRS for what they call a "compliance review" and deposited one week later. Other reasons for delay of refund are as follows:- Taxpayer owes delinquent Federal or State taxes, either individual or business
- Taxpayer owes delinquent child support
- Taxpayer has certain other delinquent debt with Federal or State agencies, such
as student loans, military, etc.
- Primary taxpayer's name and/or SSN has changed since filing last year's return
or taxpayer did not file a return last year (possible one week delay)
- Taxpayer has claimed a blatantly unallowable deduction
- Social Security Name/Number for taxpayer, spouse, or dependent does not match
information provided by the Social Security Administration
- Return has been selected by IRS for Earned Income Credit review
Also if you have been a victim of identity theft or had to close a bank account due to a security breach, this information gets reported to IRS which will most likely delay your refund well beyond their 21-day objective.
What if there's an error on my
tax return?
We'll call you if the error is of the nature that can be resolved over the
phone, such as a missing Social Security Number, or a missing form that you
may need to fax. IRS regulations prohibit us from changing your refund by
more than $14.00 without your consent. If the error(s) are too numerous or
extensive to handle over the phone, we have the option of mailing the return
back to you with an explanation of the error(s). You would then be required
to submit a corrected tax return to us, or forfeit the $42.95 e-file fee.
Many of our customers soon learn that having their tax return professionally
reviewed with prompt error resolution is a valuable part of the e-file
service. Although the existence of errors may cause a delay in the processing of a
return, such delays are deemed acceptable when compared to the potentially
disastrous delays the same return would encounter if mailed to IRS.
Why would IRS reject my tax return?
The most common reason for IRS to reject a tax return is a Name/SSN mismatch,
as IRS compares all the names and SSNs on your tax return with the Social
Security Administration's records. If a spouse is filing under her married
name, but her Social Security Card is in her maiden name, the return will
get rejected by IRS. Make sure you have accurate names and SSNs for dependents
also.
I need my money faster - can you
help?
IRS will not process your tax refund any
faster, and you can no longer get a loan on your refund, a.k.a. Refund Anticipation
Loan, as IRS
and regulators have cracked down on banks and tax services offering these predatory products.
Can I fax my tax return
directly to IRS for free?
Not at this time. First of all, IRS has not developed the technology to accept,
and track, tax returns by fax. And, secondly, if they did have a system in
place, your tax return would most likely end up in the same antiquated process
that plagues the processing of paper tax returns. All you'd be saving is the
cost of a stamp.
My tax return is complex - can I still e-file?
IRS now accepts over 90 individual tax return forms and schedules electronically, so chances are good that your complex return qualifies for e-file. We can count on one hand the number of returns in the past five years which included forms that IRS would not accept electronically. If there happens to be an uncommon form attached to your return that cannot be e-filed (or too many of a certain form), we will notify you that your return must be mailed in and you will not be charged the $42.95 fee.
I owe IRS this year. How do I pay my tax if I e-file my return?
You can still e-file your balance-due return. As a matter of fact, you can e-file your return any time during the season, as long as you pay your tax by April 15th. Your tax payment can be debited from your bank account on any date you choose, mailed in with a payment voucher, or charged to your credit card by visting www.irs.gov and using one of their approved payment partners. See our Authorization Form for balance-due payment options.
Can you e-file my state tax return?
Yes, we can e-file all States that have an income tax, and there's no extra
charge if you fax your State return with your Federal return
(State-only returns must pay the $42.95 fee). Your State refund is deposited into the same bank
account that your Federal refund is going into. State refund schedules vary,
but deposits are generally received within a few days of the Federal refund.
NOTE: The following States require their own e-file Authorization Form to be
filed with the State tax return: AL, AR, CO, DC, IL, LA, MA, MS, NM,
OK, SC, VA, and VT. Click on a link below to download your State's
e-file Authorization Form:
AL
AR
CO
DC
IL
LA
MA
MS
NM
OK
SC
VA
VT
Is your fee deducted from my account when the refund comes in?
No. We don't monitor the IRS website to find out when your tax refund will actually be deposited. Remember, IRS can delay your refund for a compliance review, or offset your refund for a debt, and they are no longer permitted to notify us when those situations apply. You can expect your account to be debited the $42.95 fee about 2 or 3 days after we process your return.
Is my tax information kept confidential?
IRS regulations prohibit all Electronic Return Originators and Transmitters
from releasing information obtained from an individual during the course of
their tax return preparation or electronic filing, unless subpoenaed by a
legal authority. See our Privacy
Policy for more details.
Return to F.A.Q.'s
Are there real people handling my tax information, or
is this some kind of Supercomputer?
Yes, and yes. The system for tracking your tax return process through its
various stages, as you'll discover when you e-file through 800-TAX REFUND,
involves some pretty impressive technology and workflow. But when it comes to reviewing
your tax return, making sure all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted,
there's really no substitute for a real, live tax professional.