Will My State Refund Be Delayed in 2021?

You may be wondering if your tax refunds will be delayed this year due to fraud prevention, COVID-19, and other deadline-related factors. The IRS will continue its vigorous scrutiny of returns with high fraud risk, such as those claiming refundable credits. Also, any Recovery Rebate Credit reporting variances will likely require further review by the IRS, which could cause refund delays for those filers.

However, to date there has been no general statement by the IRS that filers should expect their refunds to take longer than the typical time frame—the IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.

Many states have released information about what to expect, and all have a “Where’s My Refund” tool to help you track your refund through the process.

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 – Refunds are processed starting March 1 every year. Please wait until then to check the status of your refund.

Alaska – No state income tax

Arizona – The Arizona Department of Revenue will begin processing electronic individual income tax returns beginning mid-February.

Arkansas – Identity theft has been a growing problem nationally and the state is taking additional measures to ensure tax refunds are issued to the correct individuals. These additional measures may result in tax refunds not being issued as quickly as in past years.

California – E-filed returns will take up to 3 weeks. 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 – Fraud detection, along with verification that claims made on an individual income tax return are valid and that documentation is submitted with the returns, could delay individual income tax refunds up to 60 days beyond the time frames of prior years.

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

Delaware – Expect 4–6 weeks from filing for your refund to be delivered.

Florida – No state income taxes

Georgia – Most error-free, electronically filed returns are processed within 5 business days of receiving the return and most refunds are issued within 21 days from the date a taxpayer files their return.

Hawaii – It will likely take 9–10 weeks after you e-file your tax return.

Idaho – E-filers: You can expect your refund about 7 to 8 weeks after you receive an acknowledgment that the state has 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 – Allow 2–3 weeks of processing time for your tax refund. Direct deposit only. 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 – Electronically filed (e-filed) returns take up to 6 weeks to process.

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

Minnesota – Every return received is different, so processing time will vary.

Mississippi – Electronic return filers should allow ten business days before calling about your refund. All other returns that are filed early are processed before and usually more quickly than returns filed closer to the due date. Ordinarily, within 10 weeks after receiving your completed return, the state will mail your refund check. Therefore, allow at least 10 weeks for your refund to arrive before contacting the state.​

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 – E-filed returns claiming a refund are generally processed within 6 to 8 weeks.

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

North Carolina – Due to enhanced identity theft protection measures, some refunds may take longer than normal, which is 6 weeks for electronically filed returns.

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, please allow 6 weeks to receive your refund.

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 – No specific timeline provided for delivery of tax refunds.

South Carolina – Most refunds are issued 6-8 weeks after you file your return.

South Dakota – No state income tax

Texas – No state income tax

Utah – Wait 30 days if filed electronically.

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

Virginia – Electronically filed returns: Up to 4 weeks

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