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.

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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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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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