Here are a couple of pro tips from an expert, as we move into the 2025 tax filing season, that could save you a little time or allow you to obtain your refund sooner.
A partner at Greenlight Tax Group, Demrie Henry, says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pushes taxpayers to use electronic filing because it's easier on them, but it really is faster for the average person to get their refund.
About 5-percent of taxpayers still insist on receiving a paper check in the mail for any money back, and that will stretch out their refund return to several weeks in many cases, but e-filing usually gets your return to you within three weeks.
Ms. Henry says she's had clients who received their check within a week of e-filing.
"Id's say between 93 and 95 percent of all the refunds last year were done on a digital basis," she says.
And the other tip is -- file this time of year. Like today.
Because the tax filing season just began last week, IRS employees are not as busy now as they will be in a couple of weeks, so if you e-file now you have a greater chance of getting your refund in just a week or two.
One reason is that many more people file for tax extensions than you probably are aware of -- "most people."
"A lot of people -- most people -- have to file extensions and stuff, so [the IRS] isn't processing as many returns right now."
Oh yes, she says, "there's a lot of people who file extensions, because obviously the extension gets you out to September 15th if it's for business or October 15th if it's for personal taxes," and many people take advantage of that while they're awaiting special documents or have to wait on court processing or legal cases.