Will My State Refund Be Delayed in 2020?

Updated August 3, 2020

Now that the 2020 Tax Day deadline is behind us, taxpayers are in more need of their refunds than ever before due to the Coronavirus pandemic—so when will those refunds arrive?

The past couple years have seen a rise in delayed state refunds, and the trend looks like it’s here to stay. Many states have release information about what to expect, and all have a “Where’s My Refund” tool to help you track your refund through the process.

Will my federal tax refund be delayed?

While the IRS is still fighting to distribute refunds in the wake of COVID-19 changes to the tax-system, there has been no official announcement of delays for refunds if you filed electronically.

Paper filers should expect significant delays, however—the IRS is understaffed due to social distancing procedures, and the workload is immense.

You can check the status of your federal refund by using the Where’s My Refund? tool on the IRS site.

Which states expect refund delays in 2020?

Below is each state, a link to its “Where’s My Refund” tool, and the general timeline of issued refunds:

Alabama – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Alaska – No state income tax.

Arizona – Taxpayers should allow 8 weeks from the date filed before contacting ADOR’s Customer Care Center to check on the status of a return.

Arkansas – Additional security measures may result in tax refunds not being issued as quickly as in past years.

California – Refunds issued or issues addressed in three weeks after e-file. Some tax returns need extra review for accuracy, completeness, and to protect taxpayers from fraud and identity theft. Extra processing time may be necessary.

Colorado – Identity protection measures, meant to ensure state tax dollars are going to the right person, could delay individual income tax refunds up to 60 days beyond the timeframes of prior years.

Connecticut – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Delaware – Your refund will probably be issued about a week after it was filed if you used the DOR website. For all other returns, expect 4–6 weeks.

Florida – No state income taxes

Georgia – It may take more than 90 days from the date of receipt by DOR to process a return and issue a refund.

Hawaii – It will take 9–10 weeks after you e-file your tax return; add an additional two weeks for paper refund checks.

Idaho – E-filers, you can expect your refund about seven to eight weeks after you receive an acknowledgment that we have your return.

Illinois – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Indiana – Allow 2–3 weeks of processing time for your tax refund.

Iowa – The anticipated time frame for refund processing is 30–45 days.

Kansas – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Kentucky – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds, but the Kentucky Department of Revenue has reduced the number of employees at all office locations because of the Coronavirus situation. Processing of all refunds may be delayed.

Louisiana – The expected refund processing time for returns filed electronically is up to 45 days.

Maine – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Maryland – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Massachusetts – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Michigan – E-filed returns should allow two weeks from the date you received confirmation that your e-filed state return was accepted before checking for information.

Minnesota – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Mississippi – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Missouri – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Montana – May take up to 90 days to issue your refund.

Nebraska – Please allow a minimum of 30 days to receive your refund if you e-file an error-free return.

Nevada – No state income tax.

New Jersey – You should only use the Online Refund Status Service if you e-filed your return at least four weeks ago.

New Mexico – The Department generally processes electronically filed returns claiming a refund within 6–8 weeks.

New York – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

North Carolina – Filing electronically can take up to eight weeks.

North Dakota – Refunds may take longer than in the past. No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Ohio – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Oklahoma – If your return was filed electronically, allow 14–21 days from filing for refund to process.

Oregon – If it's been at least four weeks since you filed your income tax return, the Oregon automated telephone answering system can provide information about your current year income tax refund.

Pennsylvania – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

Rhode Island – E-filed returns take five to eight business days to be processed. Refunds will be issued afterward: With direct deposit, refunds will be issued as soon as the refund is processed, while mailed checks could take two to three weeks to arrive.

South Carolina – Refunds will be issued within 6–8 weeks from the date you e-filed.

South Dakota – No state income tax.

Texas – No state income tax.

Utah – Allow 120 days from the date you filed your return to process your return and refund request.

Vermont – E-filed returns have an expected timeframe of 6–8 weeks.

Virginia – Electronically filed returns: Up to four weeks. All returns are different, and processing times will vary.

Washington – No state income tax.

West Virginia – Expect significant delay of your tax refund. Call concerning your refund if it has been more than 10 weeks since your refund was filed.

Wisconsin – If filed electronically, most refunds are issued in less than 12 weeks.

Wyoming – No state income tax.

Updated August 3, 2020