It's been 21 days. .Where's my refund?

Posted on February 15, 2025

Have you encounter this code when checking the IRS’s Where’s My Refund feature? Well could suggests that there may be delays in processing your refund. This can stem from things like: 

• The return has errors, is incomplete or is affected by identity theft or fraud.
• The return needs a correction to the child tax credit or recovery rebate credit amount.
• The return has a claim filed for an earned income tax credit, additional child tax credit, or includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation PDF.
• The time it takes a taxpayer's bank or credit union to post the refund to the taxpayer's account.

The IRS generally issue most refunds within 21 days. Several factors can influence the processing time, including the need for additional review, discrepancies in the information provided, or high volumes of returns being processed. The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if it needs more information to process their return. Other reason there could be a delay is if you filed an Amended Return. You can check the status of an amended return around 3 weeks after you submit it. You should generally allow 8 to 12 weeks for your Form 1040-X to be processed. However, in some cases, processing could take up to 16 weeks.

Avoid future processing delays

Although delays are inevitable, a few simple things can be done to prevent that.

• Making sure your Name, Social Security numbers (SSN) and birthdates are correct for you and your dependents
• Reporting all taxable income
• Making sure you receive all your tax documents before filing
• A copy of last year’s tax return
• Making sure your banking information is accurate
• Have your Identity Protection PIN (if applicable)
• Incorrect filing status or dependent information
• Your ITIN (if applicable)

In most cases the IRS does get refunds to taxpayers quickly, but taxpayers shouldn't rely on getting a refund by a certain date.