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How to Find Your Missing Tax Refund
I sent my tax return in at the end of February and still have not seen a trace of my refund. How can I find out if it's been sent?
By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
October 17, 2003
I sent my tax return in at the end of February and still have not seen a trace of my refund. How can I find out if it's been sent?
The IRS makes it easy to track down your lost return. All you need to do is visit its Web site and fill out an electronic questionnaire.
You should have received your refund quite a while ago -- within six weeks after the IRS received your return if you filed on paper; within three weeks if you filed electronically. Refunds for amended returns generally take eight to 12 weeks.
Go to the IRS's Get Refund Status page and type in your social security number, filing status, when you filed, and the refund amount as it appeared on your tax return.
You'll immediately find out:
- If the IRS received your return and sent the refund to you.
- Or the date they expect to mail or deposit the money.
- Or if the refund was returned to the IRS because it couldn't be delivered to your address on file.
One of the most common reasons people don't receive their returns is because they move after filing their taxes. To avoid this problem, fill out Form 8822 with your change of address and submit it to the IRS. Your refund could also be delayed if there's an error in your return. See the IRS's Tax Topic 303 for a list of common errors, which is also good to review before filing your taxes next year.