The scene is an old one but it repeats every year: the preparer hands the envelope back to you, looks at you over their glasses, and says something needs checking. One digit of the Social Security number came out wrong. Ten seconds of correction and, depending on your luck, weeks of waiting nobody gives back to you.
Most refund delays aren’t the IRS’s fault. They’re small mistakes, the kind anyone makes on a Tuesday night filling out paperwork in a hurry. Here are the seven that slow a refund down the most — and how not to make them.
1. One wrong digit in the SSN or ITIN
It’s the undisputed champion. You copied your Social Security number or ITIN from memory, ate a digit, and the entire return stops until the IRS manages to figure out who you are. The number must match exactly what the IRS has on record, and the same applies to your spouse and dependents.
The boring solution that works: copy the number while looking at the physical document, not from memory, and read it aloud twice before moving on. If you use software, let the program carry your data from one year to the next instead of retyping it.
2. The name doesn’t match the record
The name on your return must be the same one the IRS has on file. If you got married and changed your last name but didn’t update it with the Social Security Administration, or if you write your name with a variant different from your card (nicknames, abbreviated middle name), the system flags it.
This happens a lot to people who recently married and use their second last name at work but not on official documents. If you changed your name, update it with Social Security first and then file.
3. The bank account missing a digit (or with an extra one)
You requested direct deposit and mistyped the account number or the bank’s routing number. The result: the deposit bounces, the IRS has to issue a paper check, and what was going to take days takes weeks. Worse still: if the number you typed exists and belongs to someone else, getting that money back becomes a long process.
Before sending, open your bank’s app and copy the account number, not one from an old check kept in a drawer. And confirm the account is still open: accounts closed after a move are a classic cause of bounced deposits.
4. Forgetting to sign the return
It seems impossible, but it happens — especially with paper returns. An unsigned return is like an unsigned check: it’s worthless. The IRS sends it back and your refund clock restarts from zero.
If you file electronically, the “signature” is your PIN or the PIN your preparer generates, plus your prior-year AGI as verification. Make sure that step truly completed and wasn’t left half-done on the software’s screen.
5. Filing on paper when you could do it electronically
Paper isn’t an error in itself, but it’s the slowest way to file and the one that introduces the most errors. A paper return takes six weeks or more to process, versus three for an electronic one, and every data point someone has to type by hand is a new opportunity for error.
If you have internet access, filing electronically is the simplest decision you can make to shorten the wait. The IRS offers free electronic filing options if you qualify, and there are free community help programs like VITA and TCE.
6. Filing twice “just in case”
Your refund is taking a while, you panic, and decide to file again to “speed things up.” It’s the worst thing you can do: the second return speeds nothing up and creates a tangle the IRS has to untangle by hand, which lengthens the wait instead of shortening it.
If something is wrong, the right path to track your case is the official tool where’s my refund? and respond to what the IRS asks you by letter. One return, done right, is enough.
7. Claiming a credit with incomplete information
Credits related to children and dependents routinely go through additional reviews. If the dependent’s data is incomplete or inconsistent — a mistyped number, dates that don’t add up — the review gets longer.
That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong by claiming a credit you’re entitled to. It means that part of your return needs to be impeccable: correct numbers, documents at hand, and everything consistent with what the IRS already has.
The ten-minute review
Before sending, do this: read your entire return once, slowly. Check SSN or ITIN, names, bank account, signature, and that all the forms you received (W-2, 1099) are included. Ten minutes of review save weeks of waiting.
And if your refund is already on its way and you want to know what stage it’s at, use the IRS’s official tool. If you haven’t filed yet, first estimate how much you could receive with our tax refund calculator.
This content is informational and is not tax advice. For your particular case, consult the official sources or an authorized professional.
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