Noticed! 6 Reasons Your IRS Refund Is Delayed—And What You Can Do About It

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For those of us who are impatient, there is nothing that makes us feel worse than a late payment. In this case, we are talking about the IRS refund, because, as we said before, for those of us who are impatient, it seems like we are counting the days until an important date.

This “extra” money translates into financial relief for many users, and what happens when the payment is delayed? We get stressed out! But… why are IRS payments delayed? Here are the reasons why your refund is still waiting at the IRS office:

Incorrect or incomplete tax return:

The IRS reviews each return carefully and thoroughly, name errors, addresses or confusion in Social Security numbers are one of the most frequent reasons for problems. Other mistakes could also be the confusion of amounts on the W-2 form or, if you received the Child Tax Credit last year, they must make sure that the figures match perfectly with the notice 6419 issued by the IRS.

So, take your time when filing your tax return and make sure that all the data you have to fill out is correct.

Outstanding debts with the IRS

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No, we’re not calling you a defaulter (or maybe a little bit) but if you still have outstanding debts with the IRS, your refund may be affected to pay those debts. This applies to federal, state taxes or child support payments that you have pending.

In this case, the IRS will notify you through the CP49 notice that they will use your refund to pay the debts.

Incorrect bank information

Please double-check the bank numbers you enter in your application. There are more and more errors due to the auto-complete functions of our browsers, so please double-check your account numbers so that the deposit arrives directly and does not suffer any delays.

Returns that have been filed by mail

Since you have filed your return by mail (USPS), it will not be as fast as if you had done it electronically (since the data is checked electronically and not manually). So, don’t worry if you sent your return by mail, it will just take a little longer, but it will probably arrive.

For the next few years, try to do it online (as recommended by the IRS) to make the process easier and faster.

You claimed the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit

These types of credits are usually reviewed more closely to prevent fraud, so if you claimed one of these credits on your return, you will most likely get your refund by mid-February at the earliest. Thus, it is expected that on March 1, all people will receive their tax refunds, assuming there are no other errors in the tax return.

Suspected identity theft

If the IRS suspects that your identity may have been stolen online, it will hold your refund until you verify your identity. Notice 5071C will tell you the steps to follow to validate your identity online or to schedule an appointment at an office.

There is always a reason behind IRS refunds, and even though we may be upset about not getting our money back soon, we have to understand that the IRS is doing its best to make the process 100% accurate and not have any issues, since many people depend on this refund (and because it is your money!!). So, as a user, keep your information up to date and embrace patience!

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