The IRS says COVID-19 is to blame for delays in some of its services -- including processing tax returns.
As of July 9, the IRS reported it has 16.4 million unprocessed individual tax returns. If your return had an error on it or the IRS needs to review it again, you're likely in that group. The IRS says you could be waiting between 90 to 120 days before you get your refund.
To give you some perspective, pre-pandemic generally, the IRS needed two weeks to process an electronic return and up to six weeks for a paper return.
So, if you are waiting, what can you do?
First, check "Where's My Refund?"on the IRS website.
This link will tell you whether the IRS received your return, or if the federal agency is processing or reviewing it. The IRS says while you wait, don't file a second tax return.
If you're in a tough spot financially and you have an issue with the IRS you cannot get resolved (including refund troubles), you can reach out to the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).
TAS is an organization within the IRS and staff here may be able to help you get your refund expedited.
Click here to find a number for your local office.
