2024 Tax Refund Delays for US Citizens Abroad

In the past years, our team got a lot of questions regarding tax refund delays for US citizens abroad. We have heard your issues regarding long wait times and feels of uncertainty about when you will receive your tax refund. In 2024, tax delays are not as much of an issue as they were during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this blog, updating you about the after effect of the pandemic delays.

Tax Delay Basics

In January 2022, the IRS urged caution when filing your taxes in order to avoid even further delays in tax refund processing. Due to the amount of changes that were in place from the COVID-19 pandemic. With pandemic assistance from the IRS having ended, delays are less than previous years.

Here at MyExpatTaxes, we’d love to tell you exactly when you’ll receive in refunds. Moreover, with the IRS having fixed the tax refund delays, we are able to inform you as soon as we are informed. Additionally, we can assist you by making sure all your necessary forms are filed which means avoiding any delays in general.

US Tax Refund Solutions

The IRS recommends that you can check the status of your refund on their website:

• 24 hours after they received your e-filed return, or
• Four weeks after you paper-mailed a return

The Check My Refund status by the IRS shares with you personalized info regarding the status of your tax refund after they processed your return and approved your refund.

In order to use the Check my Refund, you need to have the following items with you:

• Social Security Number
• Filing Status
• The exact dollar amount of your refund

Once you log into their system and plug in your info, the IRS will display:

• When your tax return was received
• Exactly when your refund was approved
• How and when your refund was sent

If you do not see this info in their portal, the IRS states that they update their system daily. Therefore, you can check every day to see the status of your refund. 

You can always call the IRS if it has been more than 21 days since you e-filed, or the information in your Where’s My Refund profile says you should call. However, calling them will not refund come faster! Plus, the IRS also has service delays relating to phone call support and reviewing electronically filed returns (even if e-filed!).

We at MyExpatTaxes suggest checking daily the status of your refund on the IRS Where’s My Refund portal. 

Your refund information should be available until the third week of December 2023 if you filed your tax return before July 1st. If you filed after, the information will be available throughout the next year until you file a more current-year tax return.

If you need refund information for prior returns (2022 and earlier), you can reach out to our tax team. They can walk you through how to request this info. Otherwise, you can request a transcript online.

US Tax Refunds 101

Tax refunds are essentially a reimbursement to a taxpayer for any excess amount paid to a state or federal government. 

Some American expats see refunds as a bonus. The truth is, it’s actually that you overpaid your taxes last year, and you will get the amount (that went above what you need) back.

If you keep up to date on your tax return and only pay necessary taxes, you most likely won’t receive a refund.

Refundable Tax Credits

Tax credits like the Child Tax Credit for American families abroad are now fully refundable. However, the full benefit of this increase is only available for expats who lived at least six months in the US. These credits were lower to $1,600 for qualifying children because stimulus checks are no longer included. Dive into the new Child Tax Credit.

Expat Tax Refund Support

Do you need more expat tax refund support? Our human expert tax team is available to answer your answers and lead you every step of the way. Feel free to log into our award-winning expat tax software and reach out to one of our professionals to start today!

Get started for free, pick a plan when you’re ready. Or see the Pricing Page for all the details.