First, check your refund status.
It’s helpful to know the official status of your refund. Here’s how to find out:
- IRS.gov “Where’s My Refund?”
- The IRS2Go mobile app
- IRS Refund Hotline – 800-829-1954
- Wait at least 21 days after electronically filing and six weeks after mailing your return to contact the IRS by phone.
See Locating a Refund for more details.
Once you know the status of your refund, you can narrow down what might have happened.
Has the IRS released your refund, but you haven’t received it, or did you request the IRS mail you a refund check?
It’s possible that it was lost in the mail or stolen. Either way, you’ll need to report the missing refund check and have the IRS start a trace. Learn more about tracing a refund in Lost or Stolen Refunds.
Once the IRS determines the check was lost or stolen, it will let you know how to proceed.
Was your refund supposed to go directly to your bank account?
There are a few things that could have happened:
- The bank account information you put on your tax return was incorrect.
- The IRS isn’t responsible if you made an error on your tax return. You’ll need to contact your bank or credit union to find out what to do.
- If you already contacted your bank or credit union and didn’t get any results, file Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund with the IRS. The IRS will contact the institution and try to help, but the IRS can’t require the bank or credit union return the funds.
- The direct deposit information was changed after you reviewed and signed your tax return.
Is the IRS holding on to your refund?
The PATH Act made the following changes, which became effective for the 2017 filing season, to help prevent revenue loss due to identity theft and refund fraud related to fabricated wages and withholdings:
- The IRS may not issue a credit or refund to you before February 15th, if you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) on your tax return.
- This change only affects returns claiming EITC or ACTC filed before February 15.
- The IRS will hold your entire refund, including any part of your refund not associated with the EITC or ACTC.
- Neither TAS, nor the IRS, can release any part of your refund before that date, even if you’re experiencing a financial hardship.
The IRS may be reviewing items on your tax return.
See Held or Stopped Refunds for more information.
Did you get a refund, and the amount was less than you expected? Or when you checked the status of your refund, the automated system indicated the IRS had not received your tax return?
You may want to request a transcript of your tax account to see what happened. The IRS may have changed an amount on your tax return during processing, but for some reason you didn’t get a notice, or maybe your tax return wasn’t received by the IRS. A transcript of your account will have information about the receipt and processing of your return
Have you tried to get your refund, and now are having financial hardship?
If you’ve contacted the IRS and tried to get your refund, and not having the money is causing you a financial hardship, the Taxpayer Advocate Service may be able to help.
If none of these seem to fit
If you still aren’t sure what happened with your refund, contact an IRS representative at IRS Tax Help Line for Individuals – 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059).
FAQs
If you never received your tax refund
If you were expecting a federal tax refund and did not receive it, check the IRS Where's My Refund page. You will need to enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund.
Why is my refund less than what it was supposed to be? ›
All or part of your refund may be offset to pay off past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, spousal support, or other federal nontax debts, such as student loans.
Why am I not getting enough tax refund? ›
If you owe money to a federal or state agency, the federal government may use part or all of your federal tax refund to repay the debt. This is called a tax refund offset. If your tax refund is lower than you calculated, it may be due to a tax refund offset for an unpaid debt such as child support.
How do I know if I got my full refund? ›
Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool or the IRS2Go mobile app to check your refund online. This is the fastest and easiest way to track your refund. The systems are updated once every 24 hours. You can contact the IRS to check on the status of your refund.
Why is my refund so low in 2024? ›
You may be in line for a smaller tax refund this year if your income rose in 2023. Earning a lot of interest in a bank account could also lead to a smaller refund. A smaller refund isn't necessarily terrible, since it means you got paid sooner rather than loaning the IRS money for no good reason.
How do you know if your refund is being offset? ›
BFS will send you a notice if an offset occurs. The notice will reflect the original refund amount, your offset amount, the agency receiving the payment, and the address and telephone number of the agency. BFS will notify the IRS of the amount taken from your refund once your refund date has passed.
Why did my refund go down when I added another W-2? ›
So you are not being taxed on as much of the income on that first W-2. Then you added taxable income--so the refund went down. Your refund (or tax due) is based on the total of your income, not “per W-2.” Wait until you have entered ALL of your income and credit/deduction information.
Do you get a bigger tax refund if you make less money? ›
You can increase the amount of your tax refund by decreasing your taxable income and taking advantage of tax credits. Working with a financial advisor and tax professional can help you make the most of deductions and credits you're eligible for.
Is it better to claim 1 or 0 on your taxes? ›
Claiming 1 on your tax return reduces withholdings with each paycheck, which means you make more money on a week-to-week basis. When you claim 0 allowances, the IRS withholds more money each paycheck but you get a larger tax return.
What is the average tax return for a single person making $60,000? ›
If you make $60,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $13,653. That means that your net pay will be $46,347 per year, or $3,862 per month.
There are lots of reasons why this might happen. In most cases, the IRS takes part of your refund to pay for outstanding government debts you might owe. These include: Overdue federal tax debts.
What is the biggest tax refund ever? ›
Ramon Christopher Blanchett, of Tampa, Florida, and self-described freelancer, managed to scoop up a $980,000 tax refund after submitting his self-prepared 2016 tax return. He also allegedly claimed that he earned a total of $18,497 in wages — and that he had withheld $1 million in income taxes, according to a Jan.
Why is my tax refund different on different sites? ›
They all have to follow all of the current tax laws. So ...... if you enter the same information into any program, you should get the same refund or same tax due amount. If you enter something incorrectly or leave out information in one of the programs you tried, you will naturally get different results.
Can a tax offset be reversed? ›
You generally cannot stop a tax refund offset. The IRS service center processing the return will likely not honor the request. However, the documentation submitted with the tax return can help with other interactions with the IRS.
