Tracking down your tax refund

July 13, 2011

It's July. You filed your taxes on time. So just where the heck is your tax refund?

Some specific tax credits could be causing the hold-up.

Many first-time homebuyers who this filing season starting paying back the original $7,500 faux credit have found their 1040s and expected refunds are in processing purgatory.

Some adoptive parents also are seeing some delays in their refunds as the IRS is carefully looking at those returns before sending out money. 

In these cases, those folks unfortunately simply have to wait.

But if you're basically just waiting for a regular old refund, then there are a couple of ways you can find out where in the IRS system your tax refund is and when you might expect to get your tax refund.

And that's today's Weekly Tax Tip.

There are three ways to find out the status of your tax refund.

You can call the IRS toll-free at 800-829-1954.

You can use the agency's online tracking tool, Where's My Refund?

Or if you have smartphone, the IRS has a free app — iPhone and Android versions — for refund location, IRS2Go.

Whichever method you use, you'll need your Social Security number, the filing status you claimed on your refund and the amount of money you're expecting.

Good luck finding out where your tax cash is.

And just so you don't have to worry about going through this again next year, you might want to adjust your withholding.

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Tax Season 2026 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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