5 Ways To Avoid Major Delays on Your Tax Refund This Year
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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It may feel like you have little to no control over your tax refund, but there are some steps you can take to make the process run smoother. Step one is deceptively simple: filing an accurate return.
“When your return is right to start with, the chances that you’ll get your refund quickly go way up,” IRS spokesperson Eric Smith said in an interview with AARP. “Likewise, the chances that you’ll get a letter from the IRS go way down — and that’s always good news.”
Here are five ways you can avoid tax refund delays in 2023, according to AARP:
- File online. The IRS is urging everyone to file online returns rather than paper ones — especially if you want your refund faster. Most online filers who choose direct deposit should get their refunds within 21 days of filing. A paper return, on the other hand, could result in an extended refund delay.
- Make sure all your documents arrive before filing. This is especially true of income forms like W-2s and 1099s. If you don’t include all of these on your return, you’ll end up with a different result than what the IRS has on file. This will trigger a notice from the agency that will delay your return and refund.
- Claim the correct dependents. The main thing to look out for here is to make sure that the dependents you claim aren’t also claiming themselves on their own returns. If that happens, one of you will have to correct a return, which can cause delays. You also need to make sure you enter the correct Social Security number for each dependent.
- Make sure you sign your return. As the IRS’s Smith told AARP, “Sending in an unsigned paper return is like sending in no return at all. At that point, it’s not valid.” The IRS will have to return it to be signed, and by the time you send it back it could already be caught up in a huge backlog.
- Double-check that you are sending your return to the correct IRS processing center. If you send it to the wrong center, the IRS will need to forward it to the right one, which puts you at the back of the line.
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