Here’s When You Can Expect To Receive Your 2018 Tax Refund

when do you get tax returns 2018

Unsplash/Serrah Galos

Let’s be real — tax season is straight-up awful. While finding out that you’re getting a refund when filing your return is always a huge plus (owing is actually the worst), waiting around to receive that nice check can be anxiety-inducing. We can’t guarantee an exact date of when you can expect your refund, but we can help you make the most educated guess.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, nine out of 10 refunds are issued within 21 days of filing the return. Though that’s the most basic guesstimate of when you can expect your refund, a lot of factors — like whether you e-filed or sent your return in via snail mail and whether you requested a direct deposit or a physical check — come into play. For example, if you e-filed, the IRS website states that you should wait 21 days until calling to inquire about your refund. If you mailed your return, the process could take around six weeks. Yikes.

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Based on the IRS’ suggested timeline, we can deduce that from the day you submit your return to the day that you get your refund, you can expect the following time to pass:

If you e-filed and requested a direct deposit: 1 to 2 weeks

If you filed via snail mail and requested a direct deposit: 3 weeks

If you e-filed and requested a snail mail check: 1 month

If you filed via snail mail and requested a snail mail check: 2 months

So, what do you do if your refund hasn’t arrived in the mail or your bank account within one of the above appropriate timeframes? The IRS states that you should call the directed number only if you check the “Where’s my refund?” page and it specifically tells you to call them or you passed the timeline by a few days.

It’s also possible that you were randomly (or purposely) selected for a review of your return. Don’t panic — it’s not the end of the world. You may have to be more patient than usual while the IRS does its thing. Meanwhile, you can get an update on the review’s progress on the same “Where’s my refund?” page. If you haven’t heard anything weeks after the last suggested timeline, try calling the IRS.

P.S. Many of these federal rules apply during state returns and refunds as well, but check your state’s website to be sure.

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