How does it take to get your tax refund

If you’re expecting a big tax refund, you’re probably asking yourself, “How long does it take to get a tax refund?” If you mail your return early in the tax season, you’ll receive your tax refund in about four to six weeks. However, if you wait and file your return close to the filing deadline, it will take about eight weeks.

How long it takes to get a tax refund depends on the way you file taxes. To get your refund sooner, e-file your return. The status for e-filing your federal return moves along much more quickly than if you mail in your return. Once you’ve completed the federal e-filing process, the response time from the IRS varies from two to four days.

You can check the e-file status of your federal tax return with our online Where’s My Refund tool.

Other ways to check your federal refund status

You can also check the status of your tax refund by:

• Calling the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477 or the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954.
• Going to www.irs.gov:
  1. Choose Where’s My Refund?
  2. Enter identifying info to get your federal e-file status.

Have your return on hand, since you’ll need it to answer some questions. To check on your refund, you’ll need to provide your:

• Social Security number (SSN) or another taxpayer identification number
• Filing status
• Exact amount of the refund shown on the return

When will my refund arrive?

If you e-filed your return and chose direct deposit to receive your refund, you’ll usually receive your refund in 8-15 days. However, you should allow an extra 1-5 business days for your bank to process the funds.

If you chose the Refund Transfer option, the refund will come from the Axos Bank®, not the IRS.

Why is my refund less than I expected?

It could be for these reasons your refund is less than expected:

• You might have made a mathematical error or some other mistake on your return.
• The IRS might have deducted these amounts from your refund:
  • Delinquent federal or state taxes
  • Back child support
  • Past-due non-tax federal debts, like student loans

You should receive a notice explaining the mistake or any adjustments made to your refund. The notice should include explanations of deductions for prior debts. Since your refund check and the notice come from different IRS locations, you might receive the explanation after you receive the refund check.

Get more tax guidance

If you have questions other than, “How long does it take to get a tax refund?” or “How can I find out my refund status?”, let us help. Head to our resource center for more informative tax tips!

Tourist Refund Scheme

The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) is administered by Singapore Customs on behalf of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). The scheme allows tourists to claim a refund of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid on goods purchased from participating retailers if the goods are brought out of Singapore via Changi International Airport or Seletar Airport.

For more information on the scheme’s qualifying conditions and tourist eligibility criteria, please refer to IRAS’ webpage on Tourist Refund Scheme.

Where can I claim GST refund?

GST refund, subject to conditions of the scheme, can be claimed at these locations:

• Changi Airport
• Seletar Airport

How do I process my GST refund?

Before departing from the airport, please proceed to the electronic TRS (eTRS) self-help kiosk to apply for your GST refund. You will need to scan your physical passport to retrieve all eTRS transactions tagged to your passport.

• For check-in items: Before checking-in your purchases, proceed to the eTRS self-help kiosks located at the Departure Check-in Hall (before Departure Immigration) to apply for your GST refund.
• For hand-carry items: Proceed to the eTRS self-help kiosks located at the Departure Transit Lounge (after Departure Immigration) to apply for GST refund.

Customs Inspection: If you are notified at the kiosk to present your goods for physical inspection at the Customs Inspection Counter, you will have to present the following items in person:

1) Goods which you have purchased;

2) Original invoice/receipt issued by the retailer clearly stating the price, description of the goods, serial number (if any); and

3) Physical passport and boarding pass/confirmed air ticket.

Additional Information:

• You should be submitting your GST refund claim at the terminal where you will be checking in your purchases or where your flight will be departing from.
• Singapore Customs does not issue eTRS transactions nor process any refund (cash or non-cash). To check if you have been successfully issued with eTRS transactions by participating retailers or for updates on the refund status of your eTRS transactions, please visit touristrefund.sg to register and login to your e-Service account.

All refunds (cash or non-cash) are processed by Global Tax Free Pte Ltd (the approved Central Refund Counter Operator), not Singapore Customs.

For enquiries relating to the status of your approved refund, please contact:

Global Tax Free Pte Ltd

Tel: (+65) 6513 3756 (Weekdays from 9am to 6pm)
Tel: (+65) 6546 5074 (Weekdays after 6pm, Weekends and Public Holiday)
Email:
Website: touristrefund.sg

Refunds are not allowed on:

1. Services (like car rental, entertainment, dry cleaning, etc.);

2. Goods which are wholly or partly consumed in Singapore;

3. Goods purchased for business or commercial purpose;

4. Goods exported by freight;

5. Accommodation in hotel, hostel, boarding house or similar establishments; and

6. Goods not presented for inspection.

Do note that the following acts constitute serious offences which result in penalties and possible imprisonment:

• Making a false declaration in the refund application to Singapore Customs; and

• Taking goods out of the Departure Check-in Hall/ Transit Area or passing the goods to someone else, after the refund application has been approved.