Resources

FEDERAL

Q. How quickly will I get my refund?

A. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 calendar days.

Q. When can I start checking on my refund status?

A. You can start checking on the status of your return within 24 hours after we have received your e-filed tax return or 4 weeks after you mail a paper tax return.

Q. Its been more than 21 days since the IRS received my return and I have not gotten my refund. Why?

A. Some tax returns take longer to process than others for many reasons, including when a return:

Includes errors
Is incomplete
Is affected by identity theft or fraud
Includes a claim filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit. See Q&A below.
Includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation PDF, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
Needs further review in general

The IRS will contact you by mail when they need more information to process your return.

Q. I’m counting on my refund for something important. Can I expect to receive it in 21 days?

A. Many different factors can affect the timing of your refund after the IRS receive your return. Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, it’s possible your refund may take longer. Also, remember to take into consideration the time it takes for your financial institution to post the refund to your account or for you to receive it by mail.

Q. I claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) on my tax

A. According to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS cannot issue EITC and ACTC refunds before mid-February. The IRS expects most EITC/ACTC related refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or on debit cards by the first week of March, if they chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return. Check Where’s My Refund for your personalized refund date.

Where’s My Refund? on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go mobile app remains the best way to check the status of a refund. WMR on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go app will be updated with projected deposit dates for most early EITC/ACTC refund filers by February 22. So EITC /ACTC filers will not see an update to their refund status for several days after Feb. 15.

Q. Will Where’s My Refund? give me my amended return’s status?

A. No, it won’t give you information about amended tax returns. Where’s My Amended Return? can give you the status of your amended return. (The IRS phone and walk-in representatives can only research the status of your amended return 16 weeks or more after you’ve mailed it.)

STATE

ILLINOIS

Where's My Refund? - IL

Q. What do I do if my refund is different than what was shown on my return?

A. If your refund amount is different than what is shown on your return, you will receive a notice within 7 to 10 business days explaining the difference.

Q. How long does it take to get my refund?

A. If you file your return electronically and have your refund directly deposited into your checking or savings account, you will receive your refund faster. If you file a paper return, the timeframe is extended. In general, you can expect your refund to take longer than previous years as we continue our efforts to prevent identity theft and fraud. You may use our refund inquiry application to check the status of your current year refund.

Q. I have lost or misplaced my refund check, how do I go about getting a new one?

A. For a replacement check you must call the Comptroller's Office at 1 800 877-8078.

Q. Where's my check? The site says its been more than 10 days since it was mailed. What should I do?