Exact Answer: Up To 9 Weeks
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) aims to process most returns within 24 hours of receipt, but it can take up to three or nine for a tax refund after identity verification. The IRS advises that if you expect a return and have not received your funds, you should first verify your identity with the IRS before contacting them.
Summary
The IRS will need one or more documents proving who you are and where you live before they can process any refunds. After verifying your identity with the IRS, contact them to inquire about your refund status.
Let’s see in detail what’s all the fuss is about:
How Long After Identity Verification To Get Tax Refund?
| To receive refund | Up to 9 weeks |
| If your identity is stolen | Takes more time as it is a long process |
The IRS is actively going after fraudulent tax refunds this year, but the increase in fraud detection could make it even more frustrating for law-abiding taxpayers. Of these, already 1.9 million are flagged while screening for identity verification, while the rest are for income verification.
Keep in mind that the average wait time for identity verification (such as a Social Security Number) is 10 days, but it can take up to 60 days if your SSN has been inactive for five years or more.
If you are waiting more than 60 days for identity verification, call the Social Security Administration to inquire about any possible delays.
It takes this long because of the increased fraudulent and identity theft problems. This is why the identity verification request may come off as a surprise, but it is a necessary procedure if you want the refund credited soon enough.
For example, if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit on your previous-year tax return and signed up for Direct Deposit last year when filing taxes, then there’s no need to wait at all – the money will be in your account within 72 hours of having filed!
If you don’t have any previous-year tax return claiming status, you’ll need to wait at least 72 hours after filing before the IRS can send your refund. Overall, refund delays are one of the top problems faced by Americans in 2020. Remember, the IRS verification request comes via mail and not through phone. You can also use an online portal for a more manageable process.
Why Does It Take So Long For Identity Verification To Get Tax Refund?
It’s not as simple as it may seem like in the movies, where a snap of your bank account and your photo ID entitles you to instant recognition. The IRS needs about 90 days from today. So if someone opens an account on January 1st, they will be able to receive their refund on April 30th or April 30th. This is due to the process but also laws surrounding who can make withdrawals from the IRS.
If you open a new bank account with the same name as an existing tax filing, the IRS will release your refund immediately.
This is done to prevent someone from taking their refund and then claiming they never received it when taxes are filed next year. This process usually takes about three weeks but can take up to six months if fraud has occurred on a previous account.
Why does establishment verification take so long? Because of a lack of incentive, checking your ID was just not worth the time because there were no penalties to enforce it.
The IRS is looking to improve, and in many cases, accelerate the fraud detection process by randomly selecting taxpayers annually for their Data Validation Program. If not within 9 weeks, the authorities will soon contact you for information.
Well then, what happens if you don’t verify online? If this is the case, the authorities will call you over by scheduling an appointment and bringing the required documents to the IRS Office. If you don’t verify immediately, the IRS won’t process your refunds or credits.
Conclusion
The IRS has a set timeline for when you can expect your tax refund. So when does the clock start ticking? It starts with identity verification, usually submitted within three weeks of filing taxes electronically or four to six weeks if you file by mail.
You’ll also need to wait up to two more months before e-filing and eight additional weeks if you mailed in your return. If this sounds like too long of a process, we recommend looking into other ways to obtain funds quickly. Overall, you have to wait up to 9 weeks for a response and get your tax refund.
Reference
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1468-0343.00090
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3771402
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of ExactlyHowLong.com website.
I am a professional full-time blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web and I try to learn new technologies every day.
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