Americans throughout the country are currently preparing their tax returns for the IRS.
The IRS started accepting returns on Jan. 24, 2022.
If your goal overall is to get your tax refund in your hands as soon as possible, then there is one thing you can do to help make that happen.
How to get your tax refund from the IRS in three weeks
The IRS prefers electronic filing as the method for filing your tax return.
Many either can’t, or do not want to file electronically.
That is your choice, but if you want to see your money within the 21 day window the IRS mentioned, you’ll need to e-file.
Electronic filing also happens much quicker because the IRS uses software to process the return.
IRS: Keep these tips in mind while filing tax returns
Paper tax returns and the IRS
If you choose to file by paper, you must be aware that the IRS has a low number of employees who can manually process these tax returns right now.
On top of that, their work load has increased, slowing down their processing time even more.
According to Marca, the number of IRS employees is the same as it was in 1970, yet the population has grown 60% since then.
#IRS begins 2022 tax season; urges taxpayers to be extra cautious in filing accurate tax returns electronically to avoid delays. See https://t.co/BAj5rvsPvy pic.twitter.com/kCQSIWVRCS
— IRSnews (@IRSnews) January 25, 2022
Most people choose to e-file now in order to get their returns processed faster.
7% of tax returns are done manually, which equates to around 10 million.
The rest, 93% or 138 million, are electronic tax returns.
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Choose direct deposit
Last year $95 million dollars was sent out to taxpayers, and $87 million of that was sent by direct deposit.
By choosing this method, you will see the money faster.
It also eliminates the risk of your tax refund being lost in the mail.
If your tax return is entirely correct, you e-file, and choose direct deposit, then you should see your refund within 3 weeks.
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