Like every year, the United States IRS tax season will eventually come to an end. It is true that we are still in March and there is still time to send the forms with the Tax Return to the IRS, but we must watch out that this time does not come. Delaying the sending of the Tax Return can mean a lot of problems for the taxpayer, so we cannot forget to send the documents.
The tax season is usually three months long. This is the usual time that the IRS gives most taxpayers to send their Tax Return. This is more than enough time. Although it is always advisable to send all the documentation as soon as possible, some American citizens always wait until the last moment to fulfill their obligations, and this can bring many problems.
We are not only talking about the fact that the Tax Refund will arrive much later, since the IRS cannot issue it until it accepts the Tax Return, but the situation could be complicated for other reasons. Not sending in our taxes on time means receiving a penalty in most cases, so watch out for that and comply with the obligations as soon as possible.
When is the tax season over?
The IRS started the tax season last January 23rd. During this tax season taxpayers have up to 3 months to send the tax return. This means that the last day they can send the documents is April 18th. Therefore, sending the documents between these dates means fulfilling your obligations as a U.S. citizen. If you don’t send them before this date, the IRS will start applying late fees.
At the time the tax season ends, citizens who do not have a special season extension permit will not be able to send the forms without a corresponding penalty. There may be minor exceptions, but usually, they will have to pay a payment for late filing.
Can I request an extension to send the Tax Return to the IRS?
It is possible to request an extension to send the Tax Return to the IRS, but it is not common that this organization accepts this extension of time. It is only for exceptional cases in which there is an important reason to justify the extension.
In any case, all citizens can request the extension of time, regardless of whether we receive it later or not. In the case that we have this extra time, we will be able to send the Tax Return until October of the same year, so we have more freedom to do it.
Getting the Tax Refund Fast
The Tax Refund is the amount of tax money the IRS pays to us citizens. This is a refund of the taxes we have overpaid. Until we send in our Tax Refund, we cannot know the size of the check the IRS will send us.
However, it is possible to get the Tax Refund faster if we know a little trick. To send the Tax Refund, the IRS allows two different methods. On the one hand, we have to send a physical check through snail mail. This check can take up to 12 weeks to arrive at our address. On the other hand, if we activate Direct Deposit this waiting time will not be so long.
As soon as the IRS accepts our Tax Refund, the money will appear in the account we have linked to Direct Deposit. So it is a much faster and more effective method than requesting the check through snail mail.
Common Mistakes when filing the Tax Return
When we are filling out the Tax Return forms we can make several mistakes. In case our documentation is not completely correct, the IRS could stop our Tax Refund indefinitely. Therefore, we must watch out for the following information in order not to make mistakes. These are the most common mistakes when completing the Tax Refund:
- Not putting all personal information correctly. The Social Security number, our full name and the rest of the information must be written perfectly. A small mistake can cause our check with the refund money to be delayed.
- Make a mistake in mathematics. Income and expenses must be perfectly calculated. One mistake in the mathematics and goodbye to our Tax Refund, at least for an indefinite period of time.
- Not sending all the documentation. Check that you attach all the necessary documentation before sending the Tax Return. Any expense or income that requires a receipt must go with the corresponding document.
To correct these mistakes what we must do, mainly, is to be careful. If we pay a lot of attention to complete the forms we should not have any problems. In case of making any mistake with this information, the IRS could completely paralyze our Tax Refund and it would take much longer to reach our pocket.
How long does it take the IRS to send the Tax Refund?
In order for the IRS to issue a Tax Refund we need to previously send the Tax Return. Until we send all the forms and all our documentation, the Internal Revenue Service will not be able to issue or accept our Tax Refund.
From the moment we send it, the average waiting time is 21 days. This means that if we send the Tax Return on March 1st, on March 22nd, approximately, we will have the money at our disposal if we have activated Direct Deposit. To this we must add that all the documents are complete and that there are no errors.
In case of failure, the IRS will take more than 21 days to send us the refund. In addition, we must also remember that if we receive the check by Snail mail the money could take around 12 weeks to arrive.
Lo más importante para poder recibir el Tax Refund cuanto antes es enviar nuestro Tax Return lo más pronto posible. En ese caso, el IRS nos pagará nuestro cheque con el dinero determinado en 21 días desde que lo enviemos. Sin embargo, hasta que no enviemos el Tax Return será imposible para el IRS hacerlo.