Can I still claim my prior-year tax refund?

Many taxpayers are unaware that even if they missed a certain tax deadline, they can still claim their tax refund. However, there is a time limit to claim a prior-year federal tax refund.

The latest date that you can claim a credit or federal refund for a specific tax year is generally the later of these two dates:

• 3 years from the date you filed your federal income tax return, or
• 2 years from the date you paid the tax

Typically, the IRS has a three-year statute of limitations on claiming a prior-year tax refund. You must claim the prior-year tax refund within three years of the original tax deadline, which falls on April 15. Once this deadline passes, your refund expires.

For example, you can no longer claim a 2018 tax refund due to it passing the statute. Since the original tax deadline was April 15, 2019, taxpayers had until April 15, 2022 to claim their tax refund. Keep in mind, your paper return must be signed and postmarked before the 15th.

Click here for more detailed information and exceptions.

*Please check with your state’s Department of Revenue for information on claiming a prior-year state refund.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2020 at 8:19 pm and is filed under Late Tax Filing FAQ, Preparing a State Return, Tax Related Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.