What to Do if You're Still Waiting on Your Tax Refund

Normally, you can expect your tax refund to arrive like clockwork. The IRS usually tries to process and deliver refunds within three weeks of filing online.

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With a timeline like that, it’s easy to slot your refund into your budget, assigning this money to an important job in the future. Maybe you need it to replace the broken taillight you’ve been driving with for months, or you plan on using it to pay off an online loan, or you just want to splurge on a vacation.

But then three weeks turn to four weeks, turn into five, and still no tax refund. Depending on your financial situation, this missing money can put your finances in a bind.

What is the Average Tax Refund?

Each year, the IRS reveals the average refund amount paid to US taxpayers. In 2023 — that is, for taxes paid on wages earned in 2022 — the average refund is just shy of three grand.

To be precise, the average taxpayer can expect a tidy sum of $2,933.

This windfall of cash can help you make a variety of smart financial moves — from paying off small online personal loans and lines of credit to taking on long-awaited auto and household repairs.

To have nearly $3,000 disappear from your budget can be hard to handle, especially when it comes to urgent repairs, purchases, and debt.

Unfortunately, 1 in 10 refunds take longer than the 21-day timeline.

Paper returns can take up to six months to process, delaying your refund by that much or more.
Inaccurate, incomplete, or suspicious returns may take even longer to process. These problems may flag your return for fraud and require additional review.

What to Do if You Don’t Receive Your Tax Refund?

If you file electronically and you don’t receive your refund within 21 days, you should check the status of your refund.

It’s easy to do — just click the check your refund button on the IRS website. Once you sign in, you can see the expected date of your refund. You can also call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to talk to a representative about your tardy refund. They’ll let you know if your refund is delayed because it needs extra review or corrections.

If you asked the IRS to mail your refund as a paper check (rather than a direct deposit), you can request a refund trace. This will reveal whether someone has stolen the check and deposited it into a secret account.

In some cases, the delay is the result of a simple mix-up or a need for additional review. But in other cases, you might never see your refund. If you owe back taxes from previous years, the IRS may use this year’s refund to pay off your debts. The IRS may also use your refund to cover unpaid child support or delinquent federal student loans.

What if You Need Money for an Unexpected Expense?

Chasing down your refund and waiting for additional reviews take time.

If you need a quick cash injection in an unexpected emergency, you can rely on an online loan until the IRS issues your tardy refund. These online loans can fill in for your expected refund when you’re dealing with an urgent, unanticipated auto repair or medical expense. You can pay off what you owe once you receive your refund.

For everything else — that is, planned big purchases, splurges, and debt repayment — patience is your best policy. You’ll just have to wait a little longer than expected to make these money moves.