You’ve completed and filed a tax return prior to the April deadline and expected a refund but weeks have gone by with nothing. If you chose to file the return yourself then options for seeking answers as to why nothing has yet posted to your account or appeared in the mail box may be limited but we’re here to help.

Also, if you used a professional to file then starting with available options for locating where a refund could be will help to save a useless phone call or unnecessary trip back to their office for a similar result.
There are a few key questions to answer prior to beginning the search for an expected refund. This information must be available before searching online to find the status of your refund and also prevents others from attempting to locate or find out your refund status.

First, when you filed taxes there was an option to either receive a paper check or have the refund direct deposited into your bank account. If you chose to have the monies deposited directly into your account electronically then the money should arrive sooner. A paper check takes a little longer to process in addition to the added time for travel through the postage service. Both the federal and state returns have this option available and knowing which was selected for your particular return will help when searching for a missing return.

After deciding which option was selected upon filing, then you must also have the social security numbers associated with the return, filing status, and an exact amount. By utilizing this information any individual can access the online system provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and locate the stage in which a return is at while being processed.

The “Where’s My Refund?” portal is an easy tool that allows anyone who has filed a return to find out the current status of their return. If your return has been completed and a check issued then knowing whether to look either in the mail or your bank account (determined by the refund option selected) is the next step. If after a few weeks your refund is still missing then taking the next step and contacting either your professional service or the IRS themselves may be the necessary step.

This option is available for the federal return and many states are now offering a similar service for state return refunds. For residents or those who have filed a state return with the Department of Revenue in Colorado, an online system exists for determining the status of your refund. By accessing the online portal with the required information, anyone who is set to receive money back from their prior years’ taxes can quickly know the step their return is at during processing.

Different returns take varying amounts of time but a typical timeframe for 2017 returns has been approximately two to four weeks for the federal return and anywhere from six to eight weeks for the state version. If these time frames have passed and you were entitled to a return then checking these resources should be considered.

If you need assistance in locating your refund, the tax preparation and accounting experts at Bloch, Rothman, and Associates will be pleased to assist you. Our associates can help ensure you receive the best refund possible and understand the status of your return regardless of its current stage. Known for providing expert tax advice and assistance, they can also help with a variety of accounting, bookkeeping and payroll options on an individual or business level.

Whether you need an explanation for a random tax form, are potentially in need of appropriate representation in tax court, or could use help in potentially a variety of other various services our tax experts are ready and willing to assist. Call 303-321-7160 or contact us for your initial free no obligation consultation.