Tax season is nearly over, and for those most excited about their refunds, just know it may be coming later than normal this year.
The IRS is experiencing a major backlog due to the pandemic and warns budget constraints and staffing shortages are reasons behind it.
Experts say the best thing to do is to file electronically and avoid mailing in those documents.
"Filing electronically is faster. It's easier and it's much more secure than filing by paper," said Rebecca Wilder, with the Arizona Department of Revenue.
The IRS says it typically takes 21 days or less for a refund to show up in someone's bank account, if they file online, set up a direct deposit and their taxes are error-free.
According to the IRS, tax returns with the recovery rebate credit, earned income tax credit and additional child tax credit are taking longer.
Taxpayers can check the status of their refund online on the IRS website.
For those that need more time, filing for an extension is the way to go. Just know, it only extends the time to file, not the time to pay.
"It's just an extension to provide all of the documentation," said Jeffrey McMichael, Senior Tax Manager at Cohen and Company.
The IRS offers payment plans to those that can't afford to pay, interest included, but less penalties involved.
It's also important to keep a watchful eye for scams. The IRS will never call or email asking for personal information.
"We will never say click here to send us this you were missing a document or click here to access something," said Yviand Hernandez, who is with the Internal Revenue Service.
If fraud is detected, the IRS says it will contact taxpayers by mail.
Watch out for those scams and not only is there a huge backlog, but millions of Americans are filing late this year.
As of April 8, the IRS received more than 103 million returns.
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