IRS Tax Refund Status Tracker: How to Verify If You Are Getting Payment, What to Do If It Is Not Delivered

IRS is releasing a new wave of money for millions of Americans. If you filed your 2020 federal tax return before March 11, you might be eligible for some unexpected IRS refund. Here is why you are about to get some money and how to check its delivery status.

The Biden Administration and its American Rescue Plan aims to provide financial support to needing American families during these challenging times due to the pandemic. Stimulus checks and unemployment insurance benefits remain the sole source of income for people who recently lost their job. Unfortunately, some of these count as taxable income and have automatically been deducted by the tax agency.

However, the IRS announced that they are "correcting tax returns for unemployment compensation income exclusion." Last month, a $10,200 tax exemption was implemented to ensure that the monetary support should reach American families. If you did not get that money, then refunds are coming your way.

IRS Tax Refund Status Tracker

BGR reported that the refunds will be coming in similar to the stimulus checks. Tax refunds would be distributed in waves, with the first phase being sent out May 18. IRS expects to take until the end of summer to finish reviewing and correcting the tax refund status of over 10 million families affected by this development.

The tax refund money should be coming in by direct deposit to the registered bank account provided by your 2020 tax return. If no bank account were provided, the refunds would be coming by mail to your registered address.

To ensure that you are getting the correct amount of money in your tax refund, head to the IRS website and immediately file your tax return. Follow the guidelines and complete the information required from both Forms 1040 and 1040-SR.

How to Verify If You Are Getting Payment

To check on your federal income taxes and tax returns, USA.gov refers you to use the "Where's My Refund" tool or the mobile app "IRS2Go." The IRS has provided many different online tools to make your tax monitoring easier and efficient. For more details, you can check on this article.

You could also find out about your tax returns status by viewing your IRS online account or calling their representative at 1-800-829-1040. You can also look for emails or status updates from the e-filing website or software you used to file your tax returns.

Note, however, that if your money is missing or the refund is lower than you expected, the federal state government might have used the money to pay off some of your pre-existing debt. This is called tax refund offset. The tax refund offset could be applied to past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, spousal support, or certain federal nontax debts (i.e., student loans).

What to Do if Your Tax Refund Is Not Delivered?

Tax Refund Checks might be undelivered to you if you recently moved to a new address. To avoid this, check the "Where's My Refund" page if you have registered your correct address. Next, you must submit a "Change of Address - Form 8822" to the IRS and U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Refund checks might take a few days to process before the IRS sends it to your newly registered address.