Where’s My Refund?

The deadline for filing taxes has come and gone and I take pride in the fact that I didn’t wait until the last minute to mail mine out. For the second year in a row, I not only filed my own taxes but I got them out a month before they were due. The entire process spanned two days after I had gathered together all the pertinent documents I would need. I spent the first evening filling out the forms and double checking my figures, typed and printed everything the next morning and by lunch, both my state and federal tax documents were stamped and on their way. It was a huge relief to get out from under that burden and I immediately started counting down the days when I could go onto the tax sites and track the progress of my refund. It wasn’t that I was necessarily in a hurry to receive my refund but something was nagging at me. And I wanted my money!

It wasn’t until close to three weeks had passed and I was working on my sister’s taxes that I realized what had been evading my thoughts all along. I had forgotten to attach my W-2 form to my 1040A form! In my haste to get them on their way I had skipped the checklist reminder and since NY State no longer requires them…I simply forgot. This would not be difficult to rectify but I was now at the mercy of the IRS to notify me of my mistake and to request that I send along the missing document to the address they provide. Re-filing was out of the question. Now, all I can do is wait. Big sigh! I think I’ll try e-filing next year.

Lesson learned: Where’s My Refund? won’t work if you’ve screwed up during the filing process; know that you’ll be waiting a while to see your refund.