Haven't received refund from tax amendment

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sawhorse
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Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by sawhorse »

In September 2020 after discovering a pretty substantial mistake, I filed an amended federal tax return for 2016 and 2017. I'm owed more than $2000. I still have heard nothing from the IRS. I know they received it because of the USPS tracking number. Should I contact the IRS, or should I continue to wait?

In case it's relevant, I filed my regular return for tax year 2019 at the same time through the mail. I got the refund around Thanksgiving.
AlohaJoe
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by AlohaJoe »

When you checked the IRS website for status on refunds, called "Where's My Refund?", what did it say to do?
Topic Author
sawhorse
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by sawhorse »

AlohaJoe wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:39 am When you checked the IRS website for status on refunds, called "Where's My Refund?", what did it say to do?
"Your amended return information is currently unavailable in this application. It takes up to 3 weeks for an amended return to show on your account. You can generally expect your amended return to be processed within 16 weeks from the date we receive it. Check the date you filed your amended return and try again later."
HomeStretch
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by HomeStretch »

The IRS has long processing delays due to the pandemic. I paper-filed a 2019 1040X (late K-1, small refund due to me) in early May. In mid-November, the IRS online status updated to say the return was received but not yet processed. A recent check showed the same status. From other threads, other posters have experienced similar delays.
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sawhorse
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by sawhorse »

HomeStretch wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:36 am The IRS has long processing delays due to the pandemic. I paper-filed a 2019 1040X (late K-1, small refund due to me) in early May. In mid-November, the IRS online status updated to say the return was received but not yet processed. A recent check showed the same status. From other threads, other posters have experienced similar delays.
Wow. You still haven't received the refund from May?!

I worry that as the IRS receives the 2020 returns in the next few months, amended past returns will be pushed even further back in the queue.
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goodenyou
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by goodenyou »

Same here. E-filed in July. Gave POA to my CPA and he called in the professional line. Got some runaround about a concern for fraud. We gave them all the supporting documents about 3 weeks ago and still nothing.

I regret not offsetting my 2020 taxes with my 2019 refund instead of asking for the cash. It is a mid 5-figure refund.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" | “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves”
av111
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by av111 »

goodenyou wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:40 pm Same here. E-filed in July. Gave POA to my CPA and he called in the professional line. Got some runaround about a concern for fraud. We gave them all the supporting documents about 3 weeks ago and still nothing.

I regret not offsetting my 2020 taxes with my 2019 refund instead of asking for the cash. It is a mid 5-figure refund.
Same here. Filed and amended in 1st week of September. Called 3 weeks back. They said that they will escalate but nothing so far. Mid 5 figure refund amount
AV111
av111
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by av111 »

goodenyou wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:40 pm Same here. E-filed in July. Gave POA to my CPA and he called in the professional line. Got some runaround about a concern for fraud. We gave them all the supporting documents about 3 weeks ago and still nothing.

I regret not offsetting my 2020 taxes with my 2019 refund instead of asking for the cash. It is a mid 5-figure refund.
Same here. Filed and amended in 1st week of September. Called 3 weeks back. They said that they will escalate but nothing so far. Mid 5 figure refund amount
AV111
Topic Author
sawhorse
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by sawhorse »

I still haven't received it, and the wheresmyrefund site message hasn't changed. It doesn't even say they've received the return, but I know through USPS tracking that they got it. What should I do?
av111 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:21 pm
goodenyou wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:40 pm Same here. E-filed in July. Gave POA to my CPA and he called in the professional line. Got some runaround about a concern for fraud. We gave them all the supporting documents about 3 weeks ago and still nothing.

I regret not offsetting my 2020 taxes with my 2019 refund instead of asking for the cash. It is a mid 5-figure refund.
Same here. Filed and amended in 1st week of September. Called 3 weeks back. They said that they will escalate but nothing so far. Mid 5 figure refund amount
Have you gotten the refund yet?
clemrick
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by clemrick »

sawhorse wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:21 am
In case it's relevant, I filed my regular return for tax year 2019 at the same time through the mail. I got the refund around Thanksgiving.
Did you send the amended returns in the same envelope as the 2019 return? Did you send the amended returns together in the same envelope?

IRS tends to group all papers in a envelope together and process whatever is on the top and ignore any other returns that are included.

Also, you may have been too late to get money back from 2016. You only get three years from the time the original return was filed to amend and receive a refund. If you filed your 2016 on extension in October 2017, you should be ok. If you filed April 2017, you are too late.
HomeStretch
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by HomeStretch »

HomeStretch wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:36 am The IRS has long processing delays due to the pandemic. I paper-filed a 2019 1040X (late K-1, small refund due to me) in early May. In mid-November, the IRS online status updated to say the return was received but not yet processed. A recent check showed the same status. From other threads, other posters have experienced similar delays.
No change in my status - 2019 Form 1040X is marked as received but not processed in the IRS system and a small refund has not been received.
greyshark
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by greyshark »

I filed an amended return in April 2020 and didn’t get my check until February 2021. Just gotta be patient in the environment we’re in.
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goodenyou
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by goodenyou »

Still waiting. E-filed in July 2020. No amended forms. IRS Wheresmyrefund said they received and are processing my documents since back in September. 8 months and waiting...
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" | “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves”
neilpilot
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by neilpilot »

Filed a paper TY2019 1040x in late March 2020, and IRS shows it was received early April. They’re still processing my small refund.
av111
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by av111 »

sawhorse wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 9:18 pm I still haven't received it, and the wheresmyrefund site message hasn't changed. It doesn't even say they've received the return, but I know through USPS tracking that they got it. What should I do?
av111 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:21 pm
goodenyou wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:40 pm Same here. E-filed in July. Gave POA to my CPA and he called in the professional line. Got some runaround about a concern for fraud. We gave them all the supporting documents about 3 weeks ago and still nothing.

I regret not offsetting my 2020 taxes with my 2019 refund instead of asking for the cash. It is a mid 5-figure refund.
Same here. Filed and amended in 1st week of September. Called 3 weeks back. They said that they will escalate but nothing so far. Mid 5 figure refund amount
Have you gotten the refund yet?
No. Also most people here filed by mail. We efiled.
AV111
Topic Author
sawhorse
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by sawhorse »

clemrick wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:03 am
sawhorse wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:21 am
In case it's relevant, I filed my regular return for tax year 2019 at the same time through the mail. I got the refund around Thanksgiving.
Did you send the amended returns in the same envelope as the 2019 return? Did you send the amended returns together in the same envelope?

IRS tends to group all papers in a envelope together and process whatever is on the top and ignore any other returns that are included.

Also, you may have been too late to get money back from 2016. You only get three years from the time the original return was filed to amend and receive a refund. If you filed your 2016 on extension in October 2017, you should be ok. If you filed April 2017, you are too late.
I sent the 2020 return, the 2016 amended return, and the 2017 amended return in 3 separate envelopes. I had filed a 6-month extension in April 2017 for the 2016 return and filed the complete return in October 2017.
neilpilot
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by neilpilot »

neilpilot wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:37 am Filed a paper TY2019 1040x in late March 2020, and IRS shows it was received early April. They’re still processing my small refund.
Update - IRS processed the 2019 1040x in June 2021, so it only took 15 months. Refund check received yesterday.
HomeStretch
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by HomeStretch »

HomeStretch wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:05 am
HomeStretch wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:36 am The IRS has long processing delays due to the pandemic. I paper-filed a 2019 1040X (late K-1, small refund due to me) in early May. In mid-November, the IRS online status updated to say the return was received but not yet processed. A recent check showed the same status. From other threads, other posters have experienced similar delays.
No change in my status - 2019 Form 1040X is marked as received but not processed in the IRS system and a small refund has not been received.
Data point - my filing and refund were processed in June 2021 so 13-1/2 months from mailing to processing.
tj
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by tj »

Call your local taxpayer advocate. My dad eventually got his refund for his amended 2017 and 2018 returns filed during the pandemic.
HootingSloth
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Re: Haven't received refund from tax amendment

Post by HootingSloth »

Reposting this from another similar thread:
HootingSloth wrote: Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:03 pm For folks wondering about the status of their returns, and the difficulty of contacting the IRS by phone, the National Taxpayer Advocate released her midyear report to Congress covering this filing season.

The report notes that, at the conclusion of the filing season, the IRS faced a backlog of over 35 million individual and business income tax returns that require manual processing, much larger than usual. The backlog includes about 16.8 million paper tax returns waiting to be processed; about 15.8 million returns suspended during processing that require further review; and about 2.7 million amended returns awaiting processing.

The report also discusses the challenges for taxpayers trying to contact the IRS by phone. For example, for individual taxpayers calling about Form 1040, the IRS has been able to answer only 3% of calls. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate, "the best advice is to be patient and give the IRS time to work through its processing backlog."

The report details many recommendations to help avoid a similar situation in the future. Members of Congress have been informed about this situation, and the report also stresses "the impact of cuts to the IRS's budget over the past decade and the IRS's need for additional funding."
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