Here's How Long It Usually Takes To Get A Tax Refund

Once you've gone through the process of gathering your tax documents for the year and have either visited your accountant to handle the paperwork or have done the filing for yourself, you might be wondering how long you have to wait to get your tax refund. In short, it all depends on how you've chosen to send your tax documents to the Internal Revenue Service.

With regard to filing your annual taxes every April, you have several options. You could either fill out your forms online and send the required documents via an e-filing web service, have your accountant or tax preparer send through the information on your behalf, or physically mail the necessary paperwork through the postal service. If you have access to online services, this could result in the IRS receiving your documents in a timely manner, which could get you your refund even sooner than if you were to mail your tax information.

With that being said, unforeseen events like the Covid-19 pandemic often impact mail service, which could dramatically affect how long it takes for your taxes to be processed. According to the IRS, you could even see a delay of up to six months in processing your taxes because of these issues. However, whichever way you choose to file your taxes, the IRS has a timeframe laid out so you're not left stressing out as to when you might be receiving your payment. Let's see how long the revenue service says your tax refund should take to reach you.

There's nothing more stressful than expecting money just to find that you have to wait seemingly forever for it. Luckily, when it comes to when to expect your tax refund, the Internal Revenue Service is upfront about the time it may take, which will depend on how you chose to file your tax documents. If you hand-mailed your tax return, it will take some time for the government to receive it. Then it will take even longer for the IRS to process your return. The IRS states that if you choose this method of tax filing, then you should expect to receive your refund within six to eight weeks after the moment they get your return.

If this timeframe doesn't suit you and you want to make certain that you get your tax refund faster, then you should consider filing your documents online and choosing a direct deposit option for payment. This way you can ensure the IRS will get your return more speedily and can issue a refund in a more timely manner. By using an online system, your return can be received in less than 48 hours and you could even see your refund sent to you within 21 days. To check the status of your tax filing and for further information, you can visit the IRS directly as this service is updated daily in order to keep you more informed.