Where Is My Tax Refund? Here's Why You Don't Have Your Money Yet

Tax season got off to a slow start this year, with fewer people filing taxes early. So taxpayers who decided not to procrastinate might be wondering why they haven’t been rewarded for their punctuality yet. In other words, early filers might be asking, “Where’s my tax refund?”

It’s a fair question, but there's no need to fret — the refund is coming. Those who signed up for direct deposit will get refunds within 21 days. Mailed paper returns take a big longer, from six to eight weeks.

Read: Will Taxes Go Down In 2017? Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Says Reform Could Come By August

Those seeking more specific information can track their refund. The Internal Revenue Service has a tool online called 'Where’s My Refund?" which is a useful way to track tax return processing. All that is needed is a social security number, filing status and how much the federal government owes you.

Read: Filing Taxes Online: Millennials Are Asking The Internet And Their Parents For Financial Help

States also allow tax filers to track their refunds. They’re often on the website of the state’s Department of Revenue (like this one in Missouri), Department of Taxation and Finance (like in New York), or a similar department. The easiest way to go about finding the tax refund status is to do a search on Google — "tax refund status (insert state name here)."

For TurboTax users, the website has an online tool to help track taxes, too. All that is required is a username and password.

If it’s been more than the allotted time—21 days for electronic filings or six weeks for paper—then it’s probably wise to call up the IRS to inform them that a refund hasn't been received. A list of numbers is available for questions.