No specific advice, but a couple of years ago our state tax refund didn't arrive until in December.

Best to check with their H & R Block office if it's still operational.

Did they file electronically? Didn't the preparer give them a copy of the return? It should have identifying codes.

The preparer will have information identifying their account and should deal with the I R S if so requested, or your family can do it on their own.

They may well be able to do it on their own, for name, address and social security number should be sufficient identificatilon (says a foreigner - if you are in the U.S.).

ole joyful

First have them have the tax return where they can look at it. As stated above they can look at the IRS "Where's My Refund" but they have to have the actual amount of the refund to receive an answer. While they have it in hand they need to check to see if the refund went to purchase Savings Bonds. If the file was sent electronically by the preparer they may have been asked but did not understand. I have no idea how this would be fixed other than to wait if it did happen.

Other things to think about are did they move because refunds are not forwardable which is why it is best to direct deposit if people move a lot. If the refund has been returned IRS has methods to reissue. Need to look at all accounts if direct deposited.

After giving them any suggestion from here let them handle it without you becoming involved any more.

Start with H&R Block and their copy of the tax form that was filed. (This assumes that H&R Block did file. Your daughter or SIL must do this. I think that you would need power of attorney to chase their tax problem.)

My experience with a POA and elderly, disabled relative was that IRS would NOT honor the POA. There was some special thing that they needed (I don't recall what) but my relative was too disabled at that point to sign/consent. So I ended up having to forge his signature on returns. It was all on the up and up except for the signature and I was so furious about their arbitrary rules and totally burned out trying to manage another's complete care, I simply didn't care.

Thanks for your replies. Hopefully the problem will be resolved for them, soon.

Did your DIL or DS actually speak to an IRS agent? I went thru this a few years ago and spent a ridiculous amount of time "on hold" waiting for a human. As another poster mentioned, you must have the hard copy return in hand because they agents will ask for specific information. Good luck.

I hope they were not hacked and the refund was sent to a criminal. Happens all the time.

And make sure they check their credit reports for evidence of identity theft.

> I hope they were not hacked and the refund was sent to a criminal. Happens all the time.

Or that they (or H&R Block) didn't transpose a couple of digits on the account info, or else some innocent stranger may have received an unexpected windfall. If that imagined stranger were like me, he or she might not even be aware that a unexpected deposit was made.

Start with olychick's good suggestion and see if that works. Absent that, one of the two may need to make a trip to the nearest IRS office. I recommend they handle the IRS contact, whether by phone or in person, personally.

Paid preparers are required to give their customers a copy of the tax return, so they should have a copy.

There's no reason to contact the Block office about the filing unless the initial response from the IRS is -"we didn't get a return from you". Block employees are return preparers, not tax professionals. Other than when you might encounter a seasoned one with the minimal Enrolled Agent designation, their skills and knowledge are limited.

joyful guy, I know your advice is well intentioned but the US isn't Canada, things aren't the same here as there.

The reason they paid H&R Block the big bucks is for help at the time of filing and when/if there is a problem. By all means they should go back to Block and get them to assist. Most likely the employee who is working during the summer is either the owner (if the office is locally owned) or an experienced preparer and knows their way around IRS. As a former owner of a Block franchise, I do speak from experience.

Edited to add when we were owners of a franchise, the prices were much, much more reasonable. The fees the big company wanted us to charge is one reason we sold out after 20 years. But when we there, we did everything we could to help every client, from calling IRS (with the client on the other line) as many times as it took to accompanying clients to audits -- all with no additional charge.

With all due respect, Block is fine for most people with uncomplicated and basic situations, which I'll assume is the case for this young couple. More complicated situations should be taken to a competent CPA (not all in small practices or small towns are competent).

I chortled at the "big bucks" comment. Talking about paying big bucks to a Block office (compared to the cost and value of going to a CPA when necessary) is like talking about spending big bucks at a Dollar Store compared to at Nordstroms.

The reason you called the IRS with the taxpayer on the phone is that a Power of Attorney must be on file with the IRS for them to disclose any information about a taxpayer to a third party. The IRS sets acceptability requirements for being so named, like being a licensed lawyer or CPA, and I'm not sure the average Block employee would have the necessary credential needed to be on a P of A and speak to the IRS without the taxpayer present. Maybe some do.

I'm a CPA, retired from a career of public practice. Different suggestions have been given, readers can choose which they like better. As above, my advice is for these folks themselves to try contacting the IRS first to see what its information and position is regarding a refund if any. A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including irregularities in tax payments, prior period unpaid taxes rightly or wrongly showing in the taxpayer account, identity theft with a fraudulent filing, and more. Someone with some knowledge of the taxpayers' backgrounds should be involved. Not a return preparer who's the same as unemployed 8 months of the year.

We had a chartered account firm prepare our taxes this year. DH got his refund right away. I waited a couple months and still didn’t get mine. It was a nightmare trying to get through to find out where it was. Eventually, and I mean eventually, it was discovered that the accountants had submitted the wrong address for me. Then they had to mail me a form to sign that says I didn’t get the refund and then mail it back. Took for frigging ever.

So your mentioning a "chartered account (ant)" [sic] suggests you're in Canada, Different system here altogether, as above, and married couples in the US most often file one joint return for federal and state income taxes with the income and deductions of both, combined. If tax is overpaid, there's one refund.

For US filers, the federal return and those of most states allow the opportunity for you to enter bank account numbers so that a refund can be paid to you via bank transfer. If you're a quarterly estimated tax payer, the first choice would be to credit overpayments to your next year's estimates. If not and for others, using the bank transfer method is the best choice for refunds due you.

Yes we are Canadian. We can also set up for direct deposit, which my husband did. I thought I did too, but I guess not. I’ll make sure to get is set up before next year.. when DH retires this year, will do the joint income thing.

Thank you all for your comments. My son traveled for work in 3 different states last year, that might be part of the reason it's so late. I certainly hope there's been no identity theft. I'll suggest they do a check on their credit and double check that all account numbers on correct on their forms. Thanks, again.

abbis if they have not checked the IRS webpage to see if a refund has been issued doing all the checks you are mentioning is simply busy work. They will need their SSN, the amount of the refund and I think there is a third thing. It should state if a refund has been issued and/or the 1040 received. If no 1040 receive or other problem then and only then do they need to check the rest of the information. https://www.irs.gov/refunds

abbisgram, everyone (myself included) has assumed it to be a federal problem. If so, where or how many states he worked in would have no effect at all. Unless no one was home at the normal mailing address to receive a check. Or, unless they moved and a false claim was suspected because of the address change.

The first place to check is the IRS, the other stuff you and others have mentioned is unnecessary until you know what's the IRS view is of the situation, or if they have one at all. Fraudulent refund claims are referred to as identify theft but are not identity theft in the normal sense because they typically only involve the IRS. It has its own way of identifying and locking down accounts when they suspect that's happening.

Okay, dil reports that it still shows pending on the IRS website. She is out of work now and they could use these funds. Guess it'll be a longer wait. Thanks, friends.

The pending status seems like good news(to me). A few years ago, my return had an attempted hack. When my return didn't arrive, I went to the IRS site. After inputting the required information, I was told to call the IRS and was given a code. This was a huge pain and I now had to prove I was me, etc. They told me the investigation could take up to 6 months (it didn't).

One more suggestion: have them keep careful record of when they contacted the IRS and what the result was. If it doesn't resolve pretty soon, put those simple facts (not accusations, keep it cordial) in a letter to their Congressperson, and ask him or her to look into it. As a retired federal employee, I can assure you no one likes having to respond to a congressional inquiry. Good luck to them!

"Pending" is another way to say "on hold". If this federal return was filed in April or earlier, it now being August, a refund should have been processed many months ago and there's something not normal going on.

They can go to an IRS office and try to get more information at the Taxpayer Assistance Center (most require advance appointments, done online). Or they can just wait. If she's unemployed and they could use the money, there's an obvious better choice to go with.

nickel, I know your suggestion is informed and well intentioned but keep in mind the IRS probably puts up with more needless guff from individuals than do most other agencies. They deal with too many ill-informed and misinformed taxpayers who come out of the box with belligerent attitudes. Yes, it's not perfect and has its own issues (many a result of inadequate funding) but I suspect most people in Congress get dozens of constituent complaint letters every month. I'll guess the writers get a polite reply that includes a helpful taxpayer services phone number to call. And the matter may go no further for all but the most significant or egregious cases.