Tax Topic 152: What Does It Mean for Your Tax Refund?
Understand Tax Topic 152's impact on your tax refund. Learn what it means, common reasons for delays, and how to check your refund status.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides various informational statements, known as Tax Topics, to offer guidance on tax-related subjects. These topics serve as a resource for taxpayers seeking to understand specific tax processes or issues. Tax Topic 152 is commonly encountered by individuals checking the status of their federal income tax refund. It provides general information regarding refund processing and status.
Understanding Your Refund Status Message
When taxpayers use the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool, encountering “Tax Topic 152” signifies that the IRS has received the tax return and is currently processing it. This message indicates that the refund is pending, or that there might be a slight delay in its issuance. It serves as a general notification that the return is under review and processing is ongoing.
The presence of Tax Topic 152 does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the tax return, nor does it indicate an audit. Instead, it suggests that the IRS is conducting a more thorough review of the return. This can extend the processing period beyond the typical 21-day timeframe for most refunds. While it signals a potential delay, it does not require any additional action from the taxpayer.
Common Reasons for Refund Delays
Several factors can lead to a delayed tax refund, often resulting in the appearance of the Tax Topic 152 message. These delays occur because the IRS needs to conduct a more thorough review of the return, which can extend processing times. Common reasons include:
Errors or incomplete information on the filed return, such as incorrect Social Security numbers or calculation mistakes. The IRS must manually review returns with discrepancies, which significantly slows down processing.
Identity verification issues, as the IRS may need to confirm the taxpayer’s identity to prevent fraud.
Claims for certain credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). By law, refunds for returns claiming these credits cannot be issued before mid-February, even if filed earlier.
Returns involving injured spouse claims or those flagged for potential fraud.
A high volume of returns during peak tax season, which can lead to processing backlogs and extended refund timelines for many taxpayers.
Checking Your Refund Status
Taxpayers can easily check the status of their federal tax refund using the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool. This tool is available on the IRS website or through the IRS2Go mobile app. To use it, individuals need to provide their Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), their filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of the refund expected from their tax return.
The “Where’s My Refund?” tool updates typically once every 24 hours, usually overnight. There is no need to check more frequently. The tool displays one of three statuses: “Return Received,” indicating the IRS has received the return and is processing it; “Refund Approved,” meaning the refund has been approved and is being prepared for issuance; or “Refund Sent,” signifying the refund has been sent to the bank or mailed.
For electronically filed returns, refund information is usually available within 24 hours after acceptance. Paper returns may take approximately four weeks to show status updates. If the status does not update within the typical processing timeframes—generally 21 days for e-filed returns or six weeks for mailed returns—the IRS advises contacting them only if the “Where’s My Refund?” tool specifically instructs to do so.