John Lithgow in Daddy's Home2 via Tenor
We've been hearing all filing season about how ticked off lots of folks are about the size of their tax refunds.
Last week, one Indiana woman was especially upset, but not over the refund amount.
She was royally ticked that the tax check hadn't yet arrived, so much so that the wait allegedly drove her to violence.
Unwelcome wait reaction: The apparently tardy refund actually was intended for Claudia Pedroza's ex-boyfriend, who's also the father of the couple's three children.
He had filed his return, claiming the youngsters as dependents, and Pedroza reportedly went by his house to get her share of the refund money.
When he told Pedroza that he was still waiting for the refund, Elkhart County court documents allege that she assaulted him with a kitchen knife.
Tracking tax refunds: The story as reported by WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana, doesn't say when the tax return was filed.
But instead of allegedly attacking her former beau, Pedroza should have gotten that detail.
Once a return is submitted and accepted, the Internal Revenue Service says that 90 percent of the time it issues refunds within 21 days.
If it had been beyond that time limit, then she should have encouraged her ex to check Where's My Refund?, the IRS' online refund tracking tool.
Refund amounts now even: Pedroza reportedly told law enforcement that she was upset because she needed the tax refund money to pay for auto repairs and other bills.
That's not an unusual filing season situation. Many folks depend on the tax cash and even intentionally overwithhold from their pay to ensure they get a refund each spring.
Another thing that's finally on par with previous filing seasons is 2019's average tax refund check amount.
Yep, despite all the early complaints, the average refund this year now is $2,915.
That's just 0.3 percent less than the $2,925 average check amount issued at this time in 2018.
That earns $2,915 this week's By the Numbers honors.
Here's hoping you're getting a comparable refund and that it arrives soon. Or at least before you get too agitated!
You also might find these items of interest:
- Tax refunds are nice, but savings provide a better payoff
- Unpaid state & federal debts could mean smaller refunds
- IRS offers more underwithholding tax penalty relief, but taxpayer ire over smaller refunds lingers
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