Where Is My NY State Tax Refund?

Find out when you should receive your 2012 New York state tax refund

Are you still waiting on a tax refund from New York state? You can check the status of your state refund online by using the Income Tax Refund Status tool on the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. If you prefer to use the phone you can also check the status of your refund by calling 518-457-5149.

These days you can expect your federal refund from the IRS in under twenty-one days. In some cases they are even fast enough to get your money out in a week. State operations are not quite so sophisticated.

New York says to expect your refund six to eight weeks after they receive your return. As with federal taxes, the fastest way to get your refund is by e-filing your return and then requesting your refund by direct deposit. Mailing your return in to the tax office and requesting a paper check will both slow down the refund process.

If you really want to know when you’ll get your refund the moment that information become available, you can sign up to receive an email from New York State as soon as they process your return. The message will include the amount of your refund, the expected payment date, and the payment method. In order to receive this email, you have to sign up through the online services.

The best advice I can give when it comes to tax refunds is just to be patient – this advice holds true for your federal taxes but it’s even more true at the state level. Government isn’t known as a model of efficiency. Checking your refund status twelve times a day isn’t going to get your money any faster, but it might make the state’s refund status tool crash.

Just as a reminder for all of you who haven’t filed yet, the deadline for filing your 2012 New York state tax return in April 15, 2013, the same as it is for your federal return. File your taxes with RapidTax now and you can take care of your state and federal return at the same time.

Photo via JefferyTurner on Flickr.

248 Replies to “Where Is My NY State Tax Refund?”

  1. I’m in the same boat. I mailed my return on March 27th, 2013 and I have not yet received my refund! I called the following numbers,

    Personal Income Tax Refund Information: 518-457-5149
    Perosnal Income Tax Infomration Center: 518-457-5181

    and I haven’t discovered away of getting pass the automated system and speaking with a real person.

    Those of you who spoke with a real agent, please tell me how you did it. I just want to know whether they received my return. That’s all. The automated system keeps telling me that it has no information about my return.

    To avoid this next year, I adjusted my withholdings so that I come close to breaking even. I don’t mind cutting a small check, if necessary, but I do mind having to wait indefinitely for a refund from the state.

    By the way, the state doesn’t care about paying interest. Have you seen the interest rates that banks are paying these days? They’re near 0%. I don’t think that state has anything to worry about.

  2. We filed at the end of Feb. we were audited in May,sent over all required documents the same day and I’m still waiting,now the automated system says that they received it May 9th and can take up to 120 days. And when you go to talk to a rep the automated system tells you they will not be able to assist you further. WTH!!!!! I don’t understand what is so hard and how they managed to put my tax info under my husbands ss# when the state was taking money out of my check not his.Beyond frustrated.

  3. Sounds like I’m in the same boat with many of you. Mailed in my return mid-March, still waiting. If I try to check the status online, I get the message: “The information you have entered does not match our records.” I did call at the end of April (waited on hold for 45 minutes to speak with someone), and they told me they did receive my return, and it may take 6+ weeks. It’s now been 16 weeks… Totally infuriating and unacceptable!

  4. Hello – NYS income tax forms mailed, yes mailed March 5, 2013. I can’t check on-line because the on-line state service claims to have no record of my return. So I call and am told it was received and is being processed and that is all the agent can tell me. It is now July. It is as though the state is holding my refund hostage as punishment for not sending electronically. How absurd! All the information given in the article above is bull if the state has no record of returns on line and agents will only tell you that it was received and being processed. Sorry – 6 weeks has come and gone. We are into 4 months now – that’s actually now more than 12 weeks. Accountant says the state doesn’t have the money for all the refunds however must pay interest after April 15. I just want our money!

  5. After reading these posts I think someone’s telling a little white LIE ! About only 5 percent still waiting for there returns. My storys the same as the rest. I mailed mine the first week of April , checked the nys website which is useless and bingo no information on my return status. It took me awhile to figure out when you call to speak with a real person don’t hit any of the phone key. That just puts you right into the automatic phone system. I finally get to speak with a real person 3 weeks go and they at least put my fears aside that the state received my returns. They tell me I’m in the same boat as many others that can’t get any information on the web site. Now we get to the meat of the matter , they have MY MONEY and guess what I DON’T! I’ve looked up if there any legal ways to force them to send out my returns and BINGO they have all there bases covered. I can count a 2 percent interest rate from the end of may till they direct deposit my return. I moved from Ny City to long island because of all the bs in the city. Now I’m thinking of leaving the state when retire. The state hired a new company (contractor) to do there paperwork and boy are they doing a bang up job as far as I can tell. I know if a wasn’t paying my state Taxes be knocking on my door putting liens on my house! Good Luck to us all!

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