Track your tax refund
When will you receive your refund? The answer depends on how you filed your return. The IRS should issue your refund check within six to eight weeks of filing a paper return. If you chose to receive your refund through direct deposit, you should receive it within a week. If you use e-file, your refund should be issued between two and three weeks.
Tax due dates
Employers – Nonpayroll taxes. File Form 945 to report income tax withheld for 2021 on all nonpayroll items. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.
Certain Small Employers – File Form 944 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2021. This tax due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.
Farm Employers – File Form 943 to report Social Security and Medicare taxes and withheld income tax for 2021. This due date applies only if you deposited the tax for the year in full and on time.
Record retention guide
Storing tax records: How long is long enough?
Federal law requires you to maintain copies of your tax returns and supporting documents for three years. This is called the “three-year law” and leads many people to believe they’re safe provided they retain their documents for this period of time.
However, if the IRS believes you have significantly underreported your income (by 25 percent or more), or believes there may be indication of fraud, it may go back six years in an audit. To be safe, use the following guidelines.
IRS Tax forms and publications
The publications listed below are located on the IRS Web site and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Visit the Adobe Web Site to install the latest version of Acrobat Reader.