newjerseynewsroom.com

If you owe money to the federal government, chances are you aren’t in any hurry for the arrival of April 15, the annual deadline to file your income tax returns. But if you’re expecting a refund, you’ve probably already filed and are checking the mailbox or bank account every day.

But don’t hold your breath.

While in the past taxpayers received their refunds from the Internal Revenue Service within a week or two, H&R Block spokesman Gene King told USA today, this year it is taking up to 21 days for the check to arrive, as is indicated on the Where’s My Refund Page on irs.gov.

IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge told USA Today that the time frame is still similar to delivery times in years past.

Accountingtoday.com reported that on Feb. 20, the message on "Where’s My Refund" was updated to say: “We are aware that some taxpayers who have filed electronically and received an acknowledgement from the IRS are concerned when they visit ‘Where's My Refund’ and are told that we have no information regarding their return. This is a temporary situation, and we expect to resolve the matter in a few days. At that time, taxpayers will be able to get an expected refund date when they visit ‘Where's My Refund.’”

RELATED

Broken refund tool on IRS website is temporary, says agency

The message telling users to expect refunds within “10-21 days” has returned to the website.

Accountingtoday.com reported that the IRS asked taxpayers to stop phoning when they have questions about their refunds.

“If a taxpayer received an acknowledgment message that their e-filed tax return has been received, they can be assured that the IRS has the tax return even though ‘Where's My Refund’ does not reflect that,” said the IRS, according to Accounting Today.com. “Taxpayers should not call the IRS unless specifically directed by ‘Where's My Refund,’ as there is no new information to give them.”

The delays, the IRS said, are due to new protections it’s using in its computers to prevent fraud. Additional checks have been put in place prior to delivery of a refund.

Still, Eldridge told USA Today, “The vast majority of taxpayers can still continue to expect to receive their refunds in a timely fashion.”

“Timely” is not fast enough for some Americans, Jackson Hewitt agent Bill Nemeth of Atlanta told USA Today.

“Our phones light up every morning” from those who filed and still haven’t received their refunds.

The average refund this year is $3,183, USA Today reported.

--JOE GREENE, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM