Where’s my refund?

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  • Published Jan 27, 2010 - [Updated Feb 16, 2012]
  • 2 min read

Important IRS Update:  Some taxpayers who filed electronically and received an acknowledgement from the IRS are concerned when they visit “Where’s My Refund” and are told that IRS has no information regarding their tax return. The IRS informed us on February 10 that this is a temporary situation and should be resolved in several days.  At that time, you will be able to get an expected refund date when you visit “Where’s My Refund.”

This is an IRS issue and impacts returns regardless of who sends them in
to the IRS. This is not a TurboTax issue.

If you have received an acknowledgement of your tax return from the IRS, then the IRS assures us they have received your return and are processing it.

Information on the status of your refund will be updated in “Where’s My
Refund” once your return processes. This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days.

IRS expects the vast majority of tax refunds to continue to be issued
within the historical range of 10 to 21 days.

Also, please see additional information on this link:

The IRS has updated it’s Where’s My Refund site with additional FAQs: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=254102,00.html

Good question. In fact, it’s one of the most common questions we get at TurboTax. And no wonder. If you’re getting money back, you obviously want to know when it’ll be in your bank account.

While the IRS explicitly states it doesn’t guarantee a specific date for depositing a refund, the general rule of thumb for e-filed returns with direct deposit is this: if you e-file your return by noon Thursdays, you’ll see your refund deposit the following Friday.

If you e-filed between Jan. 15 and Jan. 21 and opted for direct deposit, the IRS says it should be in your bank account on Jan. 29. If you chose to get a paper check, that will be mailed Feb. 5.

If you want a specific answer, just go to Where’s My Refund?

You’ll need to provide some simple information from your tax return:

•  Your Social Security Number (or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)

•  Your Filing Status

•  The exact dollar amount of your refund

E-filers can get their refund information 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges your return has been accepted.

So, if you e-file your return on Jan. 30 and you’re still waiting for your refund on Feb. 30, you know there’s a problem. Time to give the IRS a jingle. You can get your refund status information by calling 1-800-829-1954 or 1-800-829-4477.

TurboTaxBlogTeam
TurboTaxBlogTeam

Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam

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560 responses to “Where’s my refund?”

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  1. I just spoke to the IRS and my refund WILL be deposited this Friday. The agent I spoke to was wondering where TT got the information that my refund would not be enough to cover the fee because it is way more than enough for that.

    Reply

  3. Hi, my refund was accepted on Feb. 7th and I haven’t gotten my refund. I don’t think I know the dollar amount to check the status of my refund (I know, I messed up). Help please?

    Reply

  4. Turbo Tax, The IRS has already taken out what they were supposed to and said that they deposited a certain amount on the 25th. The bank said they received an amount that was $1400 less than that amount and their is still no money on my card!@! Where is my money???? The bank received money on Friday and even though it was not the correct amount they still stated that they received and I still have a 0 balance MONDAY MORNING.

    Reply

  10. The wmr is showing the 1201 reference as well. The agent I spoke to said it will be processed by March 1st. However I received an email today from TT telling me that my refund after adjustments was not enough to pay their fee and it would be taken from my account??? If the IRS is telling me I still have a refund coming then how can TT’s system send such a messed up email to me. Just because there is a delay in my refund does not mean I won’t get one. And I am with a few other people here, what happens if my money goes to university bank and u have told me I am not getting a refund??? I used H&R Block last year and believe me I am using them next year period, no more TT for me thank you.

    Reply

  11. Ok so I file my taxes on the 12th of Feb and today is the 26th of Feb and still no refund..

    I went to the IRS.Gov website to check WHERE’S MY REFUND and I keep getting the same message: I’m sorry but we have no information on your refund right now! I have check the website on three different times and still the same message. What should I do now ?

    Reply

  12. The Irs deposited an amount of $xxxx.xx on Friday February 25,2011. The “Santa Barbara Tax Group” (Who is this??)” stated that they received the amount of over $1000 less than the amount that the IRS deposited. WTF?? If I had known that the simple act of depositing my money to this card would be so difficult then I would have never agreed to this. Please tell me what is going on. It is impossible to speak to a human being. I expected my full refund less fees to be “quickly” deposited to my turbo tax card.

    Reply

  13. i was supposed to get my refund today febuary the 25th and i did not get it and the i r s wheres my refund keeps saying my social number is incorrect why is this when will i get my refund

    Reply

  14. Hi NYTaxedout,

    We know waiting for your refund is frustrating, unfortunately it is out of our hands!

    But maybe I can help clarify a few things. SBBT is the bank that is used if you chose to pay for your TurboTax fees out of your refund or put your refund on a TurboTax Refund Card. Putting your refund on your refund card does not delay the time it takes to receive your refund.

    The reason the bank told you that if you did not receive your refund today, you would get it next Friday is because the IRS only processes refunds once a week, on Fridays. Here is a link to the IRS Refund Cycle Chart, that shows the IRS processing cycle: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2043.pdf

    Hope this helps clarify and hope you get your refund today!

    Ashley

    Reply

  15. Soooo, What is going on in TURBOTAX LAND??? Efiled and accepted on Feb 15th, Direct Deposit to my Turbo Tax Card is scheduled for today Feb 25th 2011 per IRS.gov “where is my refund” Yet I don’t have any money yet! I don’t get it.Who is SBTG, news to me they handle the Turbotax Card, maybe we should change the name. So I called them no help, if I don’t get it today I wont get it until next Friday now? they only do one deposit a week?? What is that? Who are you people dealing with, Wy do I get charged to expedite my refund when its not expedited. IRS says my refund is coming today, If I don’t get it then the banks are holding my money to get interest on it.

    Reply

  16. Hi Jared,

    If the IRS estimates that you will receive your refund today, you should receive it today. Using direct deposit and having your TurboTax fees taken out of your refund does not delay the amount of time it takes to get your refund.

    Hope this helps.

    Ashley

    Reply

  20. we were to get our refund today, only to find out

    turbo tax never filed it.. I have been on hold almost 3 hours trying to get answers. we have never has this problem with turbo tax before. I use them all the time.

    Reply

  21. Ok the irs delayed my return, small offset.turbo tax said it was going to take what I owed them out of my acct instead of my return hasn’t happens yet now the irs says I am to receive my direct deposits today it hasn’t I figure the university bank has it when will I get me return

    Reply

  22. Hi Gina,

    Sorry about that! Misunderstood your question.

    Due to an unusually high volume of tax returns, the IRS may be experiencing processing delays. As a result, the IRS may have made changes to expected refund dates. This doesn’t mean there is something wrong with your tax return.

    Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Ashley

    Reply

  23. I understand your reply, but you really didn’t address my question. I am trying to determine if there is an issue with my refund. I have never had a delay before and I haven’t done anything different than last year. I am not sure why they are saying there is a processing delay. Do you think there is an audit or are they just backed up due to all the bad weather… I can’t reach an actual human being to speak with to find out. Do you have any other numbers to call to speak with someone other than automated.

    Reply

  25. Hi Gina,

    Sorry you haven’t gotten your refund yet. Unfortunately, there is nothing TurboTax can do to get you your refund faster. Once TurboTax transmits your return to the IRS, the IRS takes over processing your return and issuing your refund. TurboTax has no control over the dates the IRS quotes/projects.

    Here is a visualization of the what happens to your tax return/refund once you’ve filed it: http://blog-turbotax-intuit-com-develop.go-vip.co/tax-tips/dude-wheres-my-refund/02212011-5547

    Hope you get your refund soon.

    Ashley

    Reply

  26. In response to the person who wrote:

    “I called TurboTax (2 hours waiting on a rep.). They said there was a glitch in their application. Only if you direct deposited and also ask TT to take their fee from the refund.”

    Did TT actually give a time frame for this to be corrected? My refund falls into this category as well. I asked for direct deposit and for TT to take their fee from the refund. Hoped to see the deposit happen today as expected. My car died on me last night. ~ugh~

    Wondering if the other folks got the message to call the IRS about code 1201.

    Reply

  27. I e-filed with Turbo Tax and I was supposed to get my refund direct deposited today the 25th- did not get it. Now it says the 8th of March and prior to that it said the 1st of March. I can’t get ahold of a human being to find out what the problem is. All it says is “Your expected refund date has been changed due to processing delays. You should receive your refund by March 8, 2011.” There isn’t any code to refer to and when I call the number I only get the same information here. Is there a problem with my return or are they just backed up?????? I have used Turbo Tax for years and never had a problem!!

    Reply

  28. Hi Elizabeth,

    No need to worry. If you chose the Refund Transfer option in TurboTax, you would receive a confirmation e-mail from University National Bank of Saint Paul, MN. They will provide you an estimated date of when to expect your tax refund from the IRS.

    Ashley

    Reply

  29. I use Turbo Tax every year and have never had a problem. I received my federal tax return back in less time then Turbo Tax estimated. I filed on the 11th of February and my return was in my account on the 18th of February. I’m shocked to read some of these comments. I would be highly upset if any of these things happened to me. Instead of using TurboTax’s Where’ My Refund, I suggest using the Where’s My Refund on http://www.IRS.gov; it provides accurate information and updates as soon as anything changes with your return.

    Reply

  30. Good Morning:

    I rec’d an email from University Bank that seems suspicious. Is my refund going to be direct deposited? What is University Bank? Do I need to be worried? Please do reply – I saw another poster had also mentioned University bank, but there did not seem to be a reply.

    Reply

  31. I filed my taxes with electronic deposit through Turbo tax Jan 18. The IRS accepted it Jan. 19. I have had 3 delays from the IRS. I had no mistakes, I owe no money, etc… And, now the IRS is posting that I will get my check will be mailed this Friday. I got a hold of an IRS representative (30 minutes) who said there were no problems with my EZ Form. However, there was nothing about Direct Deposit and that it could take up to six weeks before I get my tax return.

    I called TurboTax (2 hours waiting on a rep.). They said there was a glitch in their application. Only if you direct deposited and also ask TT to take their fee from the refund.

    I have received my refund within two weeks for the last 30 years. I have used TurboTax for the last 8 years with no problem.

    They assured me that my refund would be a full refund. However, I have to wonder. When I go the government site, Where’s My Refund the amount of refund reflects their deduction.

    Reply

  32. I efiled through tt and it was accepted by IRS on 1/26/11 and I had a direct deposit date of 2/4/11. It then changed to 2/11/11. I then recvd an email from turbo tax of the error that my direct deposit info didnt route over to the IRS.

    The WMR website said there are processing delays, and currently it says

    “Your tax refund is scheduled to be mailed on February 25, 2011. If you do not receive the refund by March 25, 2011, please contact us again. We are unable to take any action until then”

    Why do they have such a large window for me to recv my refund? Will it actually get mailed that day? Or am I lookin at 4 more weeks?

    Please help, any answers are appreciated.

    Reply

  34. I was supposed to receive my refund via direct deposit on January 28th. I am still waiting. The IRS only tells me there is a delay in processing. I did not got an e-mail from turbo tax. I have used turbo tax for 5 years and have never had a problem. WHAT’S GOING ON? WHY HAVEN’T I BEEN NOTIFIED?

    Reply

  35. I am very disappointed in the way Turbotax handled this issue. I filed using efile with direct deposit option and I paid the fees upfront using the Credit card. Not only did I get my refund as stated by Turbotax on Feb 11th, I never got any communication from Turbotax explaining the delay. Come next year I will be looking at other options for efiling. From Turbotax end, one decent way to make up for this incompetency would have been some sort of rebate\moneyback given to the affected population. Well, if the company is not even willing to acknowledge the problem or do the damage control by reaching out to the customers, this kind of an action would be too much to expect I guess.

    Reply

  36. All this and I am supposed to feel safe that you have my bank account info. Never again. I am dedicating this whole year to sharing my experience with every blog, person, website, etc. They say unsatisfied customers share there experience with at least 7 people… well by the end of this year I plan to have contacted 7000+ people.

    Reply

  37. Also, the email says there is no way of knowing if the IRS deducted from my refund… I haven’t gotten it yet! I may just cancel my debit card, because this isn’t fair… I didn’t get the refund…the IRS says the direct deposit account is the bank Turbo tax uses, and not mine. I think maybe you messed up the Direct deposit and that is the hold up … now you want to take from my account! I smell a class action lawsuit because of this scam.

    Reply

  38. What is going on there! I got an email for funds to come out of my bank account because my refund is delayed (1301). I called IRS and they have no info…but your email says it may have been reduced (by thousands?) You have no information, sent me no other emails, I paid for audit defense, and no one knows anything? I try to call and you are closed for a meeting! IS this a scam or what! I will share this experience with everyone all year long as I am more than mad. We can’t even talk to your company when there is a problem!!!! I can’t even beleive this and should have used H&R block as I used them all my life up till 2 years ago and never ever had something like this happen.

    Reply

  41. Hi tiffany,

    That is correct. The IRS WMR tool is only updated once a week, on Wednesdays. For the most current IRS projection of when you can expect your refund, I recommend checking it on Thursdays.

    Ashley

    Reply

  43. Wow. The first year I decide to deviate from completetax.com, and this is what I get? Although my refund was accepted, it now goes directly to the University National Bank to deduct the fees? Then they will deposit the balance to my account? So instead of it coming directly to ME on the 4th of March, it goes to someone else, who I have to wait on. They should disclose this UPFRONT, and not in some silly, fine print speak. You would think that a company as big as TurboTax would have a better system than this, because afterall, it seems that that the competition does, for the exact same cost. Unbelievable. After reading the comments below, and having to now wait even LONGER on my refund, I can tell you that I will never use TurboTax again.

    Reply

  45. Ha Ha, I got the same email about being accepted and a refund…….funny thing is, I haven’t e filed my taxes with turbo tax and in fact I OWE 15K…..plus the email had someone else’s name from a different state…….

    Hell mabey I’ll get your refund!!

    Reply

  46. Just like everyone else, I am upset about this “error” more upset that I didn’t even receive a letter notifying me about this. I checked my status on the irs website and it said it was deposited, so I called and they told me it wasn’t so my check will be mailed on 2/18.

    Turbo Tax should give all of us a refund for using their service. Majority of us will get our refunds over a month later after being accepted! H&R block here I come!

    Reply

  47. I too am frustrated. I have been a Turbotax customer for over 5 years and never before experienced any delays, never had any concerns with the product/service. The only consolation is that the pictures of Turbotax Ashley and Turbotax Chels are attractive.

    Thanks,

    Jon

    Reply

  48. My suggestion to everyone is just to e-file directly with the IRS from now on. Turbotax is advertised as one of the best filing software for your taxes. I would hope their customer base goes way down next year because of all the drama they have caused. I look at the asnswers provided and they still do not make up for the fact that they messed up. It is absolutley crazy to me to think that a company that heavily advertises in FAST refunds would FORGET TO TRANSMIT BANKING INFORMATION! Your ability to get customer’s money in their hands quickly is your claim to fame. I have lost all confidenece in Turbotax, and I have told my story to others. Turbotax needs to be hit where it counts….loyal customers leaving them! Now all I can do is wait on the “snail mail” and hope it arrives soon so I don’t lose my new home!

    Reply

  49. Update:

    From all the researching I’ve done, I’ve noticed the WMR updates it’s info on Wednesday. Also, all checks and deposits are scheduled to be out on Fridays. I now have a definite date for my check to be mailed out on 2/25. Exactly one month after getting accepted. BUMMER! And if you call the hotline at about 9pm you will not have to wait long at all. So avoid the calls in the afternoon. You will save yourself from long wait times. Good Luck!

    Reply
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