Checking the Status of Your Refund

 

If you already filed your federal tax return and are due a refund, you have several options to check on your refund. Here are eight things the IRS wants you to know about checking the status of your refund:

1. Online Access to Refund Information Where’s My Refund? or ¿Dónde está mi reembolso? are interactive tools on http://www.irs.gov and are the fastest, easiest way to get information about your federal income tax refund. Whether you split your refund among several accounts, opted for direct deposit into one account, used part of your refund to buy U.S. Savings Bonds or asked the IRS to mail you a check, Where’s My Refund? and ¿Dónde está mi reembolso? give you online access to your refund information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s quick, easy and secure.

2. When to Check Refund Status If you e-file, you can get refund information 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your return. If you file a paper return, refund information will generally be available three to four weeks after mailing your return.

3. What You Need to Check Refund Status When checking the status of your refund, have your federal tax return handy. To get your personalized refund information you must enter:

• Your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• Your filing status which will be Single, Married Filing Joint Return, Married.
• Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er).
• Exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your tax return.

4. What the Online Tool Will Tell You Once you enter your personal information, you could get several responses, including:

• Acknowledgement that your return was received and is in processing.
• The mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund.
• Notice that the IRS could not deliver your refund due to an incorrect address. In this instance, you may be able to change or correct your address online using Where’s My Refund?

5. Customized Information Where’s My Refund? also includes links to customized information based on your specific situation. The links guide you through the steps to resolve any issues affecting your refund.  For example, if you do not get the refund within 28 days from the original IRS mailing date shown on Where’s My Refund?, you may be able to start a refund trace.

6. Visually Impaired Taxpayers Where’s My Refund? is also accessible to visually impaired taxpayers who use the Job Access with Speech screen reader used with a Braille display and is compatible with different JAWS modes.

7. Toll-free Number If you do not have internet access, you can check the status of your refund in English or Spanish by calling the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954 or the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477. When calling, you must provide your or your spouse’s Social Security number, filing status and the exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your return.

8. IRS2Go This is the IRS’ first smartphone application that lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund. Apple users can download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the Apple App Store. Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app.

Links:

• Where’s My Refund?
• ¿Dónde está mi reembolso?

YouTube Videos:

IRS2Go  English  |  ASL 

IRS Has a Smartphone App!

Keep track of your refund with the IRS App.

Tax Scams

Six Facts about IRS Publication 17

 

Starting with “What’s New for 2010” IRS Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax, takes you step by step through each part of your individual Federal Income tax return.  This comprehensive booklet explains the tax law in a way that will help you better understand your taxes so that you pay only as much as you owe and no more.

Here are the top six things the IRS wants you to know about Publication 17.

1. Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax, is available on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov and contains a wealth of information for individual taxpayers.
2. The online version of Publication 17 contains electronic links that make finding your answer simple.  Both the downloadable PDF and online 2010 Publication 17 have thousands of helpful hyperlinks.
3. Publication 17 is packed with basic tax-filing information and tips on what income to report and how to report it.
4. Publication 17 also includes information on figuring capital gains and losses, claiming dependents, choosing the standard deduction versus itemizing deductions, and how to claim valuable tax credits.
5. Publication 17(SP) El Impuestos Federal sobre los Ingresos is available in Spanish.
6. You can get a hard copy of Publication 17 for free. To get a copy, visit http://www.irs.gov or call 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

• Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax
• Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (PDF 2085K)

Increased Start-Up Expense Deduction Available for 2010

When starting a new business the amount of first year qualified business start-up expenses that can be expensed are limited. Start-up costs that cannot be deducted in the first year may be amortized or written-off over 180 months starting with the month the business begins.

Under prior law, you could generally only deduct up to $5,000 in start-up costs in year one. The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 has double the first year write-off to $10,000. The first year deduction is also limited by the amount the total start-up costs exceed a phase-out threshold of $60,000. For every dollar your start-up costs exceed $60,000 you must reduce your first year write-off of $10,000 until it reaches zero.

Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Extender Bill)

IRS News Release: Tax Season Starts on Time for Most Taxpayers; Those Affected by Late Tax Breaks Can File in Mid-to Late February

Announced January 20, 2011 - Beginning Feb. 14, the IRS will start processing both paper and e-filed returns claiming itemized deductions on Schedule A, the higher education tuition and fees deduction on Form 8917 and the educator expenses deduction.

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As a result of the December 17, 2010 tax law changes, the Internal Revenue Service announced on December 23, 2010 that the upcoming tax season will start on time for most people, but taxpayers affected by three recently reinstated deductions need to wait until mid- to late February to file their individual tax returns.

Due to late tax breaks certain filers will have to wait until Mid-to Late February to file their tax return. Taxpayers will need to wait to file if they are within any of the following three categories:

• Taxpayers claiming itemized deductions on Schedule A. Itemized deductions include mortgage interest, charitable deductions, medical and dental expenses as well as state and local taxes. In addition, itemized deductions include the state and local general sales tax deduction extended in the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 enacted Dec. 17, which primarily benefits people living in areas without state and local income taxes and is claimed on Schedule A, Line 5. Because of late Congressional action to enact tax law changes, anyone who itemizes and files a Schedule A will need to wait to file until mid-late February.
• Taxpayer claiming the Higher Education Tuition and Fees Deduction. This deduction for parents and students -covering up to $4,000 of tuition and fees paid to a post-secondary institution-is claimed on Form 8917. However, the IRS emphasized that there will be no delays for millions of parents and students who claim other education credits, including the American Opportunity Tax Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit.
• Taxpayers claiming the Educator Expense Deduction. This deduction is for kindergarten through grade 12 educators with out-of-pocket expenses of up to $250. The educator expense is claimed on Form 1040, Line 23, and Form 1040A, Line 16.

People claiming any of these three items will need to wait to file their tax returns until tax processing systems are ready. The Internal Revenue Service plans a Feb. 14 start date for processing tax returns delayed by the tax law changes. The IRS needed the extra time to update its systems to accommodate the tax law changes without disrupting other operations tied to the filing season.

Additional Information:

• IRS to Start Processing Delayed Returns on Feb. 14; Most People Unaffected and Can File Now (added 1/20/11)
• IRS Kicks Off 2011 Tax Season with Deadline Extended to April 18; Taxpayers Impacted by Recent Tax Breaks Can File Starting in Mid- to Late February
• Tax Season Starts on Time for Most Taxpayers; Those Affected by Late Tax Breaks Can File in Mid- to Late February
• Forms Affected By the Extender Provisions
  

Medical and Dental Expenses

 

If you itemize your deductions on Form 1040, Schedule A, you may be able to deduct expenses you paid in 2010 for medical care – including dental – for yourself, your spouse, and your dependents. Here are six things the IRS wants you to know about medical and dental expenses and other benefits.

1.     You may deduct only the amount by which your total medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. You do this calculation on Form 1040, Schedule A in computing the amount deductible.

2.     You can only include the medical expenses you paid during the year. Your total medical expenses for the year must be reduced by any reimbursement. It makes no difference if you receive the reimbursement or if it is paid directly to the doctor or hospital.

3.     You may include qualified medical expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse, and your dependents, including a person you claim as a dependent under a multiple support agreement. If either parent claims a child as a dependent under the rules for divorced or separated parents, each parent may deduct the medical expenses he or she actually pays for the child. You can also deduct medical expenses you paid for someone who would have qualified as your dependent except that the person didn't meet the gross income or joint return test.

4.     A deduction is allowed only for expenses primarily paid for the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. Medical care expenses include payments for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or treatment affecting any structure or function of the body. The cost of drugs is deductible only for drugs that require a prescription except for insulin.

5.     You may deduct transportation costs primarily for and essential to medical care that qualify as medical expenses. The actual fare for a taxi, bus, train, or ambulance may be deducted. If you use your car for medical transportation, you can deduct actual out-of-pocket expenses such as gas and oil, or you can deduct the standard mileage rate for medical expenses. With either method you may include tolls and parking fees.

6.     Distributions from Health Savings Accounts and withdrawals from Flexible Spending Arrangements may be tax free if you pay qualified medical expenses.

For additional information on medical deductions and benefits, see Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses or Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans, available at http://www.irs.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

• Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses (PDF)

Publication 969, Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans (PDF) 

Making Work Pay Credit

The Making Work Pay Credit allows a dollar for dollar reduction of your taxes equal to 6.2 percent of your wages up to a maximum credit of $400 for single filers, $800 if you’re married and file jointly.  the credit will be available for 2009 and 2010.  Through the end of 2010

Uncle Sam put limitations on who will be eligible to take the credit. For high income taxpayers, those with modified adjusted gross incomes exceeding $75,00 for single filers, $150,000 for joint filers, the credit will be reduced by 2 percent of your income in excess of these limits.  For example, if you were a single taxpayer with modified adjusted gross income of $90,000, ($15,000 over the $75,000 limit) your Making Work pay credit would be $100.  This is calculated by multiplying your $15,000 excess income by 2 percent to get your phase-out of $300 and then subtracting your phase out from the $400 maximum credit allowed.  Other limitations disallow the credit for nonresident aliens and dependents claimed on another taxpayer’s return.