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Checking on your refund, late filer edition

November 10, 2011

I got our tax refund this week.

IRS_erroneous-refund_CBS4_DenverI say "I" and "our" because the hubby and I live in a community property state. But even when we didn't, I operated on the practical application thesis that since we were married in Texas, we'd be community property partners regardless of our legal tax domicile.

But I digress.

No, this post isn't to blast the IRS for not issuing our refund until November. We got an extension and waited until Oct. 11 to get our return on its way to the agency. Plus it was a paper filing because we had to include some documentation that the IRS doesn't yet digitally accept.

So a turnaround of about four weeks isn't that bad.

And yes, we knew we were getting a refund and we (and by "we," the hubby is quick to point out, I mean "I") still didn't get our 1040 and accompanying forms in earlier.

In my defense, the refund was small. And I was busy. But I digress again.

Finally, this post isn't to confess my slow filing tendencies or to brag about how close our withholding and estimated tax payments came to our actual final IRS bill.

It's to remind other late filers, and we had plenty of company, that if they are still waiting for a tax refund, and we also have some compatriots in this regard, the IRS' Where's My Refund? online tracking tool is still available.

And that's this week's Weekly Tax Tip.

If you have a smartphone, the IRS app IRS2Go will let you track your tax money while you're out and about.

Or you can, of course, call the IRS at 800-829-1954 to find out where in the heck your money is.

Regardless of which tracking tool you use, you need your Social Security number, the filing status you claimed on your refund and the amount of money you're expecting.

Here's hoping you'll soon have some tax cash to be thankful for this Nov. 24, or at least by early December to help out with your holiday shopping.

You also might find these items of interest:

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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