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How Long Should It Take To Receive Your Tax Refund?

IRS TAX TIP 2007-08
Are you expecting a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service this year? If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date the IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in about half that time — even faster when you choose direct deposit.

You can check on the status of your refund seven days after you e-filed your return or four to six weeks after mailing your return. There are several ways to check the status of your refund. To use these applications, you will your Social Security, your filing status and the amount of the refund.

• Where's My Refund: The fastest, easiest way to find out about your current year refund is access IRS.gov and click on the “Where’s My Refund” link available from the home page

• Refund Hotline: Call the IRS Refund Hotline at 1-800-829–1954

• TeleTax: Call IRS TeleTax System at 1-800-829-4477. TeleTax’s refund information is updated each weekend -- if you do not get a date for your refund, wait until the next week before calling back

In some circumstances, you may not receive your refund as quickly as you expected. Refund delays can be caused by a variety of reasons. For example, a name and Social Security number listed on the tax return may not match the IRS records. You may have failed to sign the return or to include a necessary attachment, such as Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. Or you may have made math errors that require extra time for the IRS to correct.

For more information on how long it may take the IRS to process your federal tax refund, visit Frequently Asked Questions at IRS.gov.

IRS Announces Standard Amounts for Telephone Tax Refunds

IR-2007-137, Aug. 31, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the standard amounts that most long-distance customers can use to figure their telephone tax refund. These amounts, which range from $30 to $60, will enable millions of individual taxpayers to request the telephone tax refund without having to dig through old phone bills.

In general, anyone who paid the long-distance telephone tax will get the refund on their 2007 federal income tax return. This includes individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. The 2007 return is usually filed during 2008.

The standard amounts are based on the total number of exemptions claimed on the 2007 federal income tax return. The standard amounts are $30 for a person filing a return with one exemption, $40 for two exemptions, $50 for three exemptions and $60 for four or more exemptions. For example, a married couple filing a joint return with two dependent children (for a total of four exemptions) will be eligible for the maximum standard amount of $60.

“The easiest way for eligible taxpayers to get their money back is to use the standard amounts,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “These amounts save taxpayers from locating 41 months of old phone bills and analyzing these bills to determine the taxes paid. We believe the standard amounts are both reasonable and fair.”

To get the standard amount, eligible taxpayers only need to fill out one additional line on their regular 2007 return. The IRS is creating a special short form (Form 1040EZ-T) for those who don’t need to file a regular return.

The standard amounts are based on actual telephone usage data, and the standard amount applicable to a family or other household reflects the long-distance phone tax paid by similarly sized families or households. Those who paid the long-distance tax on service billed after Feb. 28, 2003 and before Aug. 1, 2007 are eligible for a refund.

Only individuals can use the standard amounts. Alternatively, individual taxpayers can choose to figure their refund using the actual amount of tax paid.

Details on requesting the telephone tax refund will be included in all 2007 tax return materials and on irs.gov.

Though businesses and nonprofits must base their telephone tax refund on the actual amount of tax paid, the IRS is looking for ways to make the refund process easier for these taxpayers. The IRS is considering an estimation method businesses and nonprofits may use for figuring the tax paid.

“Businesses and nonprofits generally have more varied usage patterns than individuals do,” Everson said. “We've met with a number of business and nonprofit groups to understand their concerns, and we plan to continue to work with them to come up with a reasonable method for estimating telephone excise tax refund amounts.”

Comments and suggestions for simplifying the refund process for businesses and nonprofits should be e-mailed to Telephone.Tax@irs.gov. The deadline for these comments is Sept. 15, 2007.

Source: irs.gov