Dude, Where's Your State Income Tax Refund?

You have a 90% chance of receiving a federal income tax refund within three weeks of filing, but is that also true for your state income tax refund? That depends.

Among the states that have income taxes in the first place, some promise faster returns than others.

For instance, California and District of Columbia’s tax websites says that if you file electronically and provide direct deposit information you might receive refund in two weeks.

Things that extend the length of time it takes to get a state refund are the same on both the state and the federal level, the IRS notes.

The biggest culprit: filing by paper can drag things out as long as eight weeks — possibly longer than it would on the federal level, but that depends on whether you have other complicating factors in your tax return, and how late in the season you file.

Find out whether you might have set yourself up for other causes of delays by checking out this article on our sibling blog, Everybody Loves Your Money.

State Income Tax Refund

State Tax
Refund Checkers

Most states have followed the IRS’ example and launched apps on their websites that let you check on the status of your refund.

This will get you information faster than if you try to call with the same question — links to states’ tax pages appear to the right (including those that do not have personal income taxes).

The state refund apps ask for your Social Security number and the nearest whole dollar amount of the refund you’re expecting — and some states also want to know the date you filed or your filing status — before they can provide you with information.

Give It Some Time

You might also want to wait at least a week or two after filing a return before inquiring about your refund, or you might get a reply telling you to check back later.

If you’re feeling impatient about your federal or state income tax refund, resolve to file your return earlier next year and make sure everything’s correct.

Have you filed your tax return yet, readers, and if so have you gotten your state or federal refunds yet? Readers, please let us know what your biggest concerns are this tax season by posting them in the comments section beneath this post. Any questions you have might become blog posts over the next six weeks.