A tax refund is a return of money you’ve given to the government during the year; it happens when your total withholdings and estimated payments are less than what you owe (or if you’re eligible for and claim certain credits).

There are many benefits to collecting a tax refund. For example, not only do most people have an incentive to keep their withholdings as low as possible because they don’t want to spend more money than necessary each month, but some people also look at their tax refunds as free money from Uncle Sam. In addition, getting a tax refund can be a great way to build up an emergency fund since collecting one doesn’t have any adverse effects on your credit score, and you don’t need to wait until the following year for it.

Filers who overpaid their taxes during the year can expect to get a refund. You’ll need to file your return to receive what’s owed by both state and federal governments, so don’t think of this as “free money” – it is already yours!

The standard time frame for processing refunds is approximately 3-4 weeks. If you filed electronically, your refund would be processed up to 4 weeks after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your return; otherwise, it may take 6-8 weeks.

The speed of your tax refund will depend on several factors, such as how long it takes the IRS to process your return and whether or not you’re eligible to get a more expedited option (e.g., if you file electronically). For example, the average time frame for an electronically filed return is around two weeks. However, if you file a paper return, the process will be a bit more complicated, and it may take up to 12 weeks from the date they receive your tax return until you get your refund.

Several things could be holding up your refund, but some problems are more common than others. Here’s what you should know about the most common causes of tax refund delay:
1. Identity verification – If you claimed the earned income tax credit or filed a return for a deceased person, your refund may be held up while the necessary identity verification is being done. Don’t worry; this does not mean there’s been an error in your tax return or that you owe taxpayers money.
2. Incomplete return – This means the tax return was not complete. For example, it did not include all of your tax information or had an error in the Social Security number of the person who claims you as a dependent. Incorrect PINs may also cause delays. If you think this is why there’s a delay in processing your return, check to see if there are any obvious errors on the form before resubmitting it.
3. Credits – If you claimed credits, such as college expenses or child tax credit, it might take the IRS more time to verify that information.
4. Refund offsets – If you owe past-due federal loans, state taxes, or child support, your refund will be used to pay off what you owe before getting money back. Again, this is not an error in your return, but a delay can result if you don’t provide all the required verification information.
5. Financial holds – The IRS intentionally selects some returns for an additional audit review based on specific financial triggers, such as high claimed deductions compared to your income. These returns are not always chosen due to an error on the return, though it may delay. The trigger could also be based on things reported by other taxpayers.
6. Missing Forms – If your employer did not provide the necessary tax forms (e.g., W-2, 1099), your return would be processed without them, and they will appear on an IRS Letter 53 document which says that we don’t have information to process this return.
7. Refund delay in filing – In some cases, a refund can be delayed if you do not file your federal return while you file your state return. If you are expecting a refund from both your federal and Oklahoma income tax returns, make sure to submit them at the same time to prevent any delays with one of the refunds.

You should first check the Where’s My Refund? tool on IRS.gov. Suppose you can access your tax return information using this tool. In that case, your refund will likely be processed within three weeks or less after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your electronic return.

Once your taxes have been submitted, the timeline of how quickly you’ll receive a refund is entirely dependent on what the IRS has discovered. However, some things may expedite the process and make it less stressful:
• File your return electronically: The IRS recommends that you file electronically because it is the fastest way to get your tax return processed.
• Set up direct deposit: If you choose direct deposit, your refund will be electronically deposited in one to three weeks.
• Double-check your tax return before you file: Double-checking your tax return before submission can ensure that the IRS doesn’t delay the processing of any refunds you’re owed.

There are many ways to increase the size of your tax refund, ranging from changing the number of dependents you claim on your W-4 to adjusting how much money you withhold each month. You can either do this by filing a new Form W-4 with your employer or increasing the number of allowances you claim on Form W-4P if you’re self-employed. Note that claiming more allowances may result in getting less money each month, but at least it will mean that your total withholdings and taxes owed during the year will be lower.