IRS Statement on Where is My Refund

The IRS alerted taxpayers and the tax community it is experiencing high traffic on Wheres My Refund as more tax returns come in. The heavy volume of refund inquiries means that the IRS anticipates both Wheres My Refund? on IRS.gov and the refund feature on the IRS2go phone app will have limited availability during busier periods.

Due to the large number of inquiries and to avoid service disruptions, the IRS strongly urges taxpayers to only check on their refunds once a day. IRS systems are only updated once a day, usually overnight, and the same information is available whether on the internet, IRS2go smartphone app or on IRS toll-free lines. While Wheres My Refund is updated nightly, your account will not change that frequently.

The IRS is seeing a good start to the filing season, and tax refunds are being issued timely. Nine out of 10 taxpayers typically receive refunds in less than 21 days when they use e-file with direct deposit.

The IRS expects to see the number of tax returns -- and related refund inquiries --steadily increase around the Presidents Day holiday week.

Here are some tips to help taxpayers with their refund questions:

"  Have the right tax information ready before using any of the IRS refund tools. This includes Social Security number, filing status and refund amount. 
"  You dont need to check Wheres My Refund more than once a day as your information will not change.
"  To avoid system delays, the best time to check on refunds is evening and weekends.
"  There is no need to call the IRS about your refund; the telephone service has the same information that is available on Wheres My Refund.

Victims of the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that took place on Feb. 10 in parts of Mississippi may qualify for tax relieffrom the Internal Revenue Service.

The Internal Revenue Service announced the selection of 26 new members to serve on the nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). The TAP is a federal advisory committee charged with providing taxpayer suggestions to improve IRS customer service.

Taxpayers using EFTPS Online must select the correct form.  If a user selects the wrong form (such as 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return instead of 1040 Separate Assessment / Innocent Spouse) the payment will post to the joint account and not the separate assessment account.

The recent webinar, Circular 230 Overview: Key Provisions and Responsibilities for Tax Professionals, is now available on the IRS Video Portal.

Revenue Ruling 2013-2 provides tables of covered compensation under § 401(l)(5)(E) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and the Income Tax Regulations, thereunder, for the 2013 plan year. [These tables assist pension plan administrators and payroll offices.]

Revenue Ruling 2013-2 will be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2013-10 on March 4, 2013.

On Feb. 5, 2013, the IRS released Rev. Rul. 2013-5, to be published in I.R.B. 2013-9 dated Feb. 25, 2013, which holds that Eurex Deutschland, a regulated exchange of Germany, is a qualified board or exchange (QBE) within the meaning of section 1256(g)(7)(C) of the Code. The IRS has amended the revenue ruling to clarify that only contracts that qualify as section 1256 contracts receive mark-to-market treatment under section 1256. 

Revenue Ruling 2013-5 will appear in IRB 2013-9 dated Feb. 25, 2013.

Notice 2013-11 provides guidance on the 25-year average segment rates that are applied to adjust the otherwise applicable 24-month average segment rates that are used to compute the minimum contribution requirements for single-employer defined benefit plans under § 430 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and § 303 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) for plan years beginning in 2013.  The guidance reflects the changes made to the Code and ERISA by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Pub. L. No.112 141.

Notice 2013-11 will be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2013-11 on March 11, 2013.

Announcement 2013-15 contains a revised Exhibit: Sample Notice to Interested Parties, attached to Rev. Proc. 2013-6, 2013-1 I.R.B. 198. The Exhibit is revised to include the correct addresses for submitting applications for determination letters and comments submitted by interested parties, in accordance with the corrections to Rev. Proc. 2013-6 made by Announcement 2013-13, which was released on Jan. 25, 2013, and will appear in 2013-9 I.R.B.