IRS tax refund checks are delayed for 21 days

The IRS tax refund check is delayed for 21 days. The traditional thinking is that the earlier you file your taxes, the faster you will receive your tax refund. However, this does not apply this year. Taxpayers who file their taxes early will delay their receipt from the state...

IRS tax refund checks are delayed for 21 days. Traditional thinking is that the earlier you file your taxes, the sooner you will receive your tax refund, but this does not apply this year. Taxpayers who file their taxes early will instead receive their tax refund checks from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) later. The IRS said last month that the earliest taxpayers to file would be a week late in receiving their refund checks as the agency updates its computer systems. But tax filing experts say most refunds may take 10 to 21 days to arrive. The Internal Revenue Service is updating its computer system to detect possible identity fraud before tax refund checks are sent out. But the IRS said that people who file taxes after January 26 will receive their tax refund checks in a timely manner. Tax experts say the IRS continues to be delayed in sending refund checks, in part because of a backlog of early returns. The Internal Revenue Service says it has sent refund checks to millions of taxpayers since the beginning of this year's tax filing season. The IRS also said that taxpayers who file electronically and choose to have their refunds deposited directly into their accounts can see their refunds credited in 10 to 21 days, and some taxpayers will receive their refunds sooner. The IRS also said recent issues with the IRS website have been resolved. When some taxpayers click on “Where’s My Refund” on the IRS website, they encounter the message “We have no relevant tax refund information.” The IRS said: "This problem is only a temporary phenomenon. In fact, almost all problems have been resolved." Taxpayers can roughly know when to receive their tax refunds by visiting "Where to Check for Tax Refunds" on the IRS website.