10 Reasons Why You Haven’t Received Your Tax Refund

5. Death of spouse

If your husband/wife has passed away before filing your tax refund and he/she is due a refund, your refund can be delayed if you failed to file IRS Form 1310, (Statement of a Person Claiming Refund Due to a Deceased Taxpayer).

The IRS asks that you do not contact them in order to get your refund faster. They actually recommend you use their Check My Refund Status tool to track it yourself (the information is updated every 24 hours).

So, you can check it 24 hours after e-filing or 4 weeks after it is mailed in. Putting in some personal information will let you know if it’s been approved, and when it’s been sent. You should also know that the IRS may need additional information at times. If they do, they will contact you, usually by mail.