JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While millions of people have received their federal stimulus checks, many are still waiting on their tax refunds from the IRS.
Overall, the IRS estimates it has a backlog of 10 million pieces of mail to process as thousands of workers returned to the offices on Monday.
On News4Jax’s Facebook page, we asked how many people were still waiting for their refunds, and 150 people responded as of Wednesday.
“In any other circumstance where they weren’t in charge of stimulus checks and/or working from home instead of being in the IRS’s offices, that wouldn’t happen. It would be so rare because anything over 45 days, the government has to pay interest, and the government doesn’t like to pay interest,” said Wolf Retirement Navigation President Adam Wolf.
Just like how the IRS would charge you interest if you were late paying your taxes.
The same works if you haven’t been paid in time by the IRS.
The clock officially starts within 45 days of the return due date, which is now July 15 or the date the IRS approves your submitted tax return -- whichever date comes later.
“If you have a refund coming back, they have to pay you within 45 days. But if it goes past those 45 days, it starts to accrue interest, so if it goes day 46, they owe you interest for those days,” said Wolf.
Before you start counting the days on the calendar, it’s important to know where you stand.
The IRS website has a “Where’s My Refund” page with a link to “Check My Refund Status.” The IRS asks that you use this link before calling.
The IRS says you should only call if it has been:
- 21 days or more since you e-filed,
- 6 weeks or more since you mailed your return or
- When “Where’s My Refund” tells you to contact the IRS.
If you do end up calling, prepare for long wait times.