How accurate is TurboTax for refunds?
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100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee – Individual Returns: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest.
This year, several tax credits have been lowered to amounts before the coronavirus pandemic—or eliminated entirely. This includes the Child Tax Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and more. Check if these changes are why your refund is lower.
Why is my refund different than the amount on the tax return I filed? All or part of your refund may have been used (offset) to pay off past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, spousal support, or other federal nontax debts, such as student loans.
Is There a Delay on 2022 Tax Refunds? Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many taxpayers ended up waiting longer than the usual 21 days — some as long as eight weeks — to receive their refunds as the IRS was dealing with the backlog of returns caused by the pandemic.
E-File with Direct Deposit—Fastest
If you e-file with TurboTax and opt for direct deposit, you can have your refund within 21 days of IRS acceptance.
Senior IRS leadership and a New York state regulator began investigating Intuit and the Free File program. The Federal Trade Commission started investigating Intuit too, looking into the company's allegedly deceptive marketing practices.
A common cause of delayed tax return processing, leading to delayed refunds, is missing information on the return. "Failure to include basic information, such as the Social Security numbers of dependents, can significantly hold up a refund," according to Lee E.
This can happen if: You made additional changes to your tax return after you already filed. You started amending your return (this resets your Refund Meter to 0). TurboTax was updated after you filed.
What is the largest tax return in history? In what could be the most amazing tax move ever, a Georgia woman filed a $94 MILLION tax refund! You have to make over $1.6 billion dollars in income to pay $94 million taxes with Georgia's 6% state income tax rate.
Reasons Your Tax Refund Can Be Delayed
Missing information. A need for additional review. Possible identity theft or tax fraud. A claim for an earned income tax credit or an additional child tax credit.
How long can the IRS hold your refund for review?
If the IRS is reviewing your return, it may have questions about your wages and withholding, or credits or expenses shown on your tax return. The review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.

The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
Return processing and refund delays.
In 2022, about two-thirds of individual taxpayers were entitled to refunds, and the average refund amount was nearly $3,200. The report says the IRS failed to meet its responsibility to pay timely refunds to millions of taxpayers for the third year in a row.
Filed a Tax Return in 2022 (updated February 24, 2023) We have processed all paper and electronic individual returns received prior to January 2023, and we are opening mail within normal time frames.
Request an expedited refund by calling the IRS at 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059). Request a manual refund expedited to you.
It can take up to five days for your bank to deposit funds into your account. If you requested that your tax refund be mailed, it could take several weeks for your check to arrive.
Typically it takes 21 days to receive your refund after the IRS accepts your return. In the meantime, you can check your e-file status online with TurboTax.
If you are being audited you will get a letter in the mail from the IRS. they do not email or call, ever! Only notify by letter.
The IRS has a computer system designed to flag abnormal tax returns. Make sure you report all of your income to the IRS, including investment income or gambling earnings. Cash businesses, large amounts of foreign assets, and large cash deposits are some of the things that can trigger an IRS audit.
Who usually gets audited by the IRS?
IRS audits individuals to verify if they accurately reported their taxes and, if they didn't, to determine if more taxes are owed. Audit trends vary by taxpayer income. In recent years, IRS audited taxpayers with incomes below $25,000 and those with incomes of $500,000 or more at higher-than-average rates.
If it has been over 21 days since your return was being accepted by the IRS (or 6 weeks if you filed a paper return) and the tax refund status has not changed or WMR has no updated message for delays, you can call the IRS and speak with an agent concerning your tax refund.
You should only contact the IRS if:
It's been 21 days or more since you e-filed. Where's My Refund? tells you to contact them.
If you don't receive your refund in 21 days, your tax return might need further review. This may happen if your return was incomplete or incorrect. The IRS may send you instructions through the mail if it needs additional information in order to process your return.
The only way for you to determine the exact refund amount (for the IRS Where is My Refund tracker) is to look at your tax return. Unfortunately, there is no one at TurboTax that can provide you with that number.
What is the average tax return for a single person making $40,000? If you are a single person making $40,000 annually, you could expect a tax return of around $1,761 on average.
In most cases, the IRS takes part of your refund to pay for outstanding government debts you might owe. These include: Overdue federal tax debts. Past-due child support.
There's no limit on the amount your tax refund can be. However, in some cases, high-value tax refunds may be sent as a paper check instead of a direct deposit. The IRS doesn't publish the threshold for when a check is issued instead of a direct deposit, but it does limit direct deposits to three deposits per account.
You have several options for receiving your federal individual income tax refund: Direct Deposit: The fastest way is by direct deposit into your checking or savings account, including an individual retirement arrangement (IRA). See the Instructions for Form 1040 (and Form 1040-SR)PDF for more information.
The head of household status can claim a roughly 50% larger standard deduction than single filers ($19,400 vs $12,950 for 2022). Heads of household can also use wider tax brackets that allows more of their taxable income to fall into lower tax brackets.
What to do if it's been almost 3 months and still no tax refund?
If you still aren't sure what happened with your refund, contact an IRS representative at IRS Tax Help Line for Individuals – 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059).
The IRS can delay your tax refund until it completes any audits. This is most common when the IRS is conducting a mail audit on your EITC or ACTC return from a prior year. Normally, you'll receive IRS Letter CP88 indicating that your refund is frozen until the IRS completes the audit.
An incomplete return, an inaccurate return, an amended return, tax fraud, claiming tax credits, owing certain debts for which the government can take part or all of your refund, and sending your refund to the wrong bank due to an incorrect routing number are all reasons that a tax refund can be delayed.
If the IRS decides that your return merits a second glance, you'll be issued a CP05 Notice. This notice lets you know that your return is being reviewed to verify any or all of the following: Your income. Your tax withholding.
Whether you owe taxes or you're expecting a refund, you can find out your tax return's status by: Using the IRS Where's My Refund tool. Viewing your IRS account information. Calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 (Wait times to speak to a representative may be long.)
Generally, if you fully paid the tax and the IRS denies your tax refund claim, or if the IRS takes no action on the claim within six months, then you may file a refund suit. You can file a suit in a United States District Court or the United States Court of Federal Claims.
(updated January 30, 2023) We issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. However, if you filed on paper and are expecting a refund, it could take four weeks or more to process your return.
If your refund is late and the IRS' Where's My Refund? tool says “Your return is being processed,” it might be worth a call to the IRS. If you don't receive a refund within 45 days of the tax filing deadline, the IRS is required to pay you interest on your refund.
Does still being processed mean approved? "Being processed", means the IRS must first process your return and then approve your refund. Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days after they receive your tax return, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
Is There a Delay on 2022 Tax Refunds? Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many taxpayers ended up waiting longer than the usual 21 days — some as long as eight weeks — to receive their refunds as the IRS was dealing with the backlog of returns caused by the pandemic.
What day of the week does the IRS deposit refunds?
The IRS generally issues tax refunds through direct deposit within 21 days of processing your tax return. While the exact day of the week that your refund will be deposited can vary, the IRS typically issues refunds on weekdays, Monday through Friday.
They now issue refunds every business day, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Due to changes in the IRS auditing system, they no longer release a full schedule as they did in previous years.
To use Where's My Refund?, taxpayers must enter their Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, their filing status and the exact whole dollar amount of their refund. The IRS updates the tool once a day, usually overnight, so there's no need to check more often.
The prompt means that the IRS has received your return, but due to Covid-19 delays, the IRS is experiencing a considerable backlog, slowing processing times and disbursements. Typically the IRS processes tax returns and issues refunds within 21 calendar days of receipt.
Our Satisfaction Guaranteed (or Guaranteed Easy) policy says that if you're not satisfied with your TurboTax product, you can return it within 60 days of purchase for a full refund. You can read the fine print at the Intuit Software End User License Agreement for TurboTax Desktop Software.
Most refunds will be issued in less than 21 days. You can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours after you have e-filed your return. Remember, the fastest way to get your refund is to e-file and choose direct deposit.
Typically it takes 21 days to receive your refund after the IRS accepts your return. In the meantime, you can check your e-file status online with TurboTax.
- Improper usage of software (errors can cause a string of IRS Letters, Audits, Amendments, and Penalties)
- The software is only as good as what the user inputs – Need to learn the software.
- Possibility of missing deductions and/or overdeducting.
- Select the right filing status.
- Don't overlook dependent care expenses.
- Itemize deductions when possible.
- Contribute to a traditional IRA.
- Max out contributions to a health savings account.
- Claim a credit for energy-efficient home improvements.
- Consult with a new accountant.
What is the largest tax return in history? In what could be the most amazing tax move ever, a Georgia woman filed a $94 MILLION tax refund! You have to make over $1.6 billion dollars in income to pay $94 million taxes with Georgia's 6% state income tax rate.
How long does TurboTax direct deposit usually take?
It can take up to five days for your bank to deposit funds into your account. If you requested that your tax refund be mailed, it could take several weeks for your check to arrive.
What's happening? Some tax returns take longer than others to process depending on your tax situation. Some of the reasons it may take longer include incomplete information, an error, or the IRS may need to review it further.
If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.
Using a CPA to file taxes is a wise choice for investors who are willing and able to pay for their advice. In many cases, CPA strategies are able to save more in taxes than the fees that they charge.
Unless you have a basic tax situation or have sufficient time to dedicate to the nuances of tax codes, laws, and regulations, Enrolled Agents, Certified Public Accountants, and Tax Attorneys can save you time and money compared to relying on TurboTax alone.
The Commission alleges that the company's ubiquitous advertisements touting their supposedly “free” products—some of which have consisted almost entirely of the word “free” spoken repeatedly—mislead consumers into believing that they can file their taxes for free with TurboTax.