Top

Wheres My Refund

February 17, 2012 by · Comments Off on Wheres My Refund 

Wheres My Refund, That’s the message the Internal Revenue Service is sending out after a computer glitch sidelined a “Where’s My Refund” feature on the tax agency’s website.

The IRS pledges that the tool, a quick way for tax filers to check the status of their refund, will be working again within days.

But for now, some taxpayers have been confused when, after filing their return electronically and receiving an acknowledgement from the IRS, the tax agency’s own tool for tracking the refund says it has no information about the return.

The IRS says that, despite the computer glitch, the “vast majority” of refunds themselves are still being processed within the typical time frame, whether people are expecting them to arrive in the mail or by the faster method of electronic deposit. Most commonly, income-tax payers who file electronically can get a refund by direct deposit within 10 to 21 days of hitting “send” on their return.

For now, just don’t expect the agency’s online tracking tool to give you an estimated time of arrival.

“This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days,” the IRS said in a message that online users will see when they click “Where’s My Refund” (the tool is found on the IRS website’s homepage).

Processing millions of tax returns quickly and accurately, and doing so while trying to maintain security of the federal databases, is no easy task. The snag with the refund tool is the latest reminder of that.

“The IRS is taking steps to update information so that Where’s My Refund has current information,” the agency said in its online message. “The IRS apologizes for any inconvenience and will provide updated information as soon as possible.”

The computer problem is making news headlines, coincidentally, just as the IRS has released an annual list of computer scams – from outside the IRS – that taxpayers should be wary of.

Bottom