Tax season can make you manic-depressive. Nothing is more depressing than preparing your taxes. Nothing is more manic than planning how to spend your tax refund. Ah, but when is it going to show up is the biggest question most have.
A quick word about tax refunds. While getting one may seem the greatest of things, it actually should cause you to take some time and analyze how you are paying taxes. Simply put, a tax refund means you are doing something wrong, particularly if it is large.
Imagine overpaying your car payments by $500 dollars a year and then getting a refund at the end of the year. Think that is smart? Well, it is exactly what you are doing when you overpay your taxes. If this sounds smart, I would like to borrow some money from you.
So, you want to know how to find out about the status of your tax refund payment. It is actually pretty easy. The IRS has a reputation for being way behind when it comes to technology. It is, but it also has a very good website where you can get lots of info.
The first step is to visit the site of the internal revenue service. Search for it on Google or whatever. On the home page, you will find a refund check link. It should be big and bold depending on what they site looks like at the time. Click on through to the form
Once on the refund information page, you need to get some information together. You need to know your social security number, filing status and exact amount you claimed as a refund.
As you can see, the form is incredibly simple. Just fill in the information, click and wait for an answer. You will be told the refund date, that there was a problem delivering it to you or there is a problem with the return you filed and the refund is delayed.
Obviously, an indication there is a problem with your return is not good news. Before you faint or hit the bottle, take a deep breath. The problem can be anything from a IRS computer glitch to a folded page the computer couldn’t read. It is not Armageddon time.
What if you are one of those people that had their return tagged for an audit? This may not be as bad as you think. The IRS is under budgeted and understaffed. Most of the time they just send a letter with a proposed change. Agree to the change and the audit is over.
There are more than a few funny quotes about the joy of tax refunds. While funny, they are misguided. I personally prefer not to give the government a free loan in the first place. If you get big refunds each year, make sure to adjust what you are paying in.
