Set an alarm on your phone, write on your notepad or put an “x” on your calendar.
Like most taxpayers, you may be rushing to claim your prior year refunds. If you remember that you have a 2016 refund waiting for you, you’re not too late.
Read below to find out if you can still claim your refund.
Can I still claim my refund?
Luckily, because of the IRS Statute of Limitations for prior year refunds. You have three years from the original tax deadline of your return to claim your refund. Otherwise, your refund expires and goes straight to the IRS. That being said, the original tax deadline for 2016 taxes was April 18, 2017, due to April 15th falling on the weekend and Emancipation Day right after.
Deadline to claim your refund
We advise that you file before April 15, 2020, to avoid any possibilities of not being able to claim your refund. This also applies to taxpayers who claimed an extension for their 2016 taxes.
Although April 17, 2020, should be your last chance to claim your 2016 refund since the 18th falls on a weekend, with our customer service experience, even though some taxpayers postmarked and filed their return by the original due date, they were not able to claim their refund. Therefore, you should file your return by the current year due date.
If you need help figuring if you have a tax due or a refund, click here for our 2016 tax calculator.
E-filing 2016 taxes
Since the e-file deadline passed on October 15, 2017, you can no longer e-file your return. You must paper-file your return; meaning printing, signing, and mailing your return to the IRS. This can easily be done using PriorTax. All you need to do is create an account, enter your tax information, and submit your tax return with payment.
We will then deliver a PDF of your tax return to your account to you can download it and send it to the IRS.
Timeframe for processing refunds
The IRS takes 6 to 8 weeks to process your refund. We recommend you allow 4 weeks from mailing your return to the IRS to check the status of your return.
In order to check the status of your refund, you will need to contact the IRS directly at 1800-829-1040 and have your SSN, filing status and refund amount available.
Amended Returns
If you’re planning on amending your return, the deadline applies to you as well. According to the IRS, you must file Form 1040X within 3 years after the date you filed your original return or within 2 years after the date, you paid the tax, whichever is later. For taxpayers who originally filed an extension for their 2016 taxes, they should be able to mail their amended return by October 15.
However, in some cases, we’ve noticed that some taxpayers were not able to get their refund due to the IRS saying that they should have postmarked their return by the April due date. We highly recommend that you file your 1040X by April 15, 2020, to avoid any risk of losing a refund.
Lost your income statements?
If you lost your income statements, contact your previous employer or request an income transcript (Wage and Income Transcript) from the IRS. This transcript shows information the IRS receives such as Forms W-2, 1099, 1098 and Form 5498; IRA Contributions. For any state withholding amounts, you will need to contact your state department of revenue. The IRS will only provide you with the federal withholding amounts. You can order your income transcript online, by mail or by mail. We suggest you do it online since it’s faster.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Your social security number
- Date of birth
- Filing status
- Mailing address
- Access to your email account
- Your account number
- A mobile phone with your name on the account
Click here for more information or to simply choose the option you want to get your transcript.
Don’t wait until the last minute!
Get your refund on time and in your hands before it’s too late. Create an account now!
Tags: 2016 refund, april 15, contact the IRS, failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, IRS penalties, statute of limitations, tax deadline, tax extension, tax refund
