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How Long Does It Take for the New York State E-File to Process?

Posted by on March 15, 2013
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How Long Does It Take for the New York State E-File to Process?

New York State says to expect your refund in 14-30 days, but many are experiencing delays

Once you’ve filed your federal and state returns, you begin the dreaded waiting game. The states tend to be a little slower than the IRS. So even after you get your federal refund, you could still be worrying about your money from the state.

New York has a slightly more sophisticated tax system than other states. However, it can still take a long time for your return to be processed and refund issued. Many taxpayers have unrealistic expectations. They expect NY to be as fast as the IRS.

What is the quickest way to get your tax refund?

The fastest way to get your refund is to e-file your return and request your refund via direct deposit. The Department of Taxation and Finance declares that these taxpayers can receive their refund in as little as 14 days. Most, however, will have to wait somewhere between 14 and 30 days. Note also that it is hardly uncommon for refunds to take even longer than that.

Any deviation from the e-file/direct deposit combination means that your refund will take even longer than this 14-30 day window. In addition to direct deposit, New York allows you to get your refund sent to you on a debit card or in the traditional form of a paper check. As both of these options involve sending a physical thing through the mail, they take a little longer, usually about 2-5 business days more.

What is the slowest way to get your tax refund?

The longest amount of time your refund will take is if you paper file your return. If that’s the case, you can tack on an additional 4 weeks to all of the times given above. That’s how long it takes the Tax Department to process paper returns.

You should know, however, that this year NYS is experiencing some pretty severe delays. Despite the projections of the Tax Dept., many taxpayers are reporting that it is taking much longer to get their refund. Some are getting messages saying their tax returns need extra review and that it will take 60 days for them to get their refund. Many other people are reporting that it’s taking 6-8 weeks for them to get their direct deposit refund.

There’s very little you can do to expedite the processing of your return. You can check the status of your return here, but there is really no reason to take the further step of contacting the Tax Dept. unless they ask you to in your status. This is doubtless one of their busiest months of the year and fielding angry phone calls is not going to speed things up.

If you’ve already taken care of your 2012 federal and state return, you should make sure that you have filed all of your old past year returns. You can still get a federal refund for the last three years.

Photo via Ben Fredericson (xjrlokix) on Flickr.

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32 Responses to “How Long Does It Take for the New York State E-File to Process?”

  1. Jeremy D. Morgan says:

    I have tried many times to contact NYS about my return. NYS is holding for review but has not sent me any thing and I have not heard anything. When I call and stay on the phone for 40 mins I get hung up on. NYS 90 days is up on the hold so my refund should be on the way. My child support is up to date! I will be giving some of it back to you when I reapply for my NYS license, but I need it to do this.

  2. nICOLE says:

    Ive been waiting over 90 days . I called last wednesday when it hit 90 day and they told me they would put an inquiry in and that could take another 30 days . Its getting really ridiculous never had to wait this long for a refund ever

  3. Frank V says:

    I mailed my paper return on 2/11 and have yet to receive my refund. Their website is no help either. I tried several times to get in touch with them, but I can’t get a human on the phone. This is absurd!

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  5. Christina says:

    All I want to know is why is this happening that it is taken up to 90+ days to get the State Refund back? Also, why have some people gotten theirs back within 14 days and others haven’t. It really doesn’t make any sense to me. There is no sense in calling because you’re gonna be on hold forever, and when you do get a human on the phone there is nothing different that they can tell you. So right now the way I look @ it is that it’s in God’s hands and I will get it when I get it.

    • tazim says:

      kind of true Christina.i filed mine beginning of April.recieved my federal within 2 weeks.so waited for the state as they usually take longer.after almost two month, middle of June i realized it can not be normal.after calling them they answered it is randomly selected for review.i guess it is either random or if there is anything suspicious, can cause the review.they asked me for my w2s and student loan papers.i submitted those on June 30th.called them four times already.no update since they have 90 full days to finish the review and process the refund or give further notice.so in short, after you get your notice, from the date you answer it, might be another 90 days.review period.and once the refund is processed, add another 14 days.if you are unlucky and get further notice,then the cycle continues.bwd yesterday August 30th when i checked the status online it says, my refund is being processed, and no further info available.so I am hopeful will receive it in a week or two.

  6. Idena says:

    I am having the same problem. I filed my state and its telling me it could take up to ninety days. As of date recieved no notices from them. I have never had a problem with my state taxes. I usually get them back in less than a month after filing.

    • Sasha says:

      Same problem. Filed 1/29/16, still nothing. Says under review but I haven’t been sent any correspondence. Maybe they’re experiencing delays like in 2013, which is what the original article says.

      • MrsLopez says:

        Same thing here. First it needed further review and now it has been in the final stages of processing for a couple of weeks!

        • Nicole says:

          Same here filed 2/1/2016 and says 90s review . I called irs they told me they see nothing that’s diffrent what I see and that they don’t see me getting any letters either but said to call back in 2 weeks to find out how much longer and that was the other day they said that.

        • Leona says:

          I still haven’t gotten my refund from 2011. I was told by one of the reps, that I should have just sent in “made up receipts” for childcare. I’m still waiting on that and now they are reviewing my 2015 taxes.

        • Jon says:

          Have you gotten your money yet after being in final stage for couple weeks?

          • doreen willis says:

            Same here, it seems they tell me the same thing e-filed feb 2017 and they started working on it march 3 but theres no problem. A rep said maybe the end of the month.

  7. Dawn says:

    Mine is the same, under review, this is the first year in 30 years that I had this problem. I just don’t get it. They received it 2/1/2016, and I E_ filed. I did get through on the phone but he actually had no information other then what the site says. This is pathetic. To have to wait this long.

  8. Dawn says:

    We have a time limit to file, do they have a time limit to give us our refund?

    • admin says:

      The IRS and State has estimated processing times for e-filed returns and paper-filed returns. However, if your return is undergoing further review or is flagged, they have the authority to extend processing times.

  9. Houdini says:

    How long does it take for your tax to be aprove when they receive them ?

    • admin says:

      The general wait time once your return has been accepted is 3-4 weeks for electronic filed forms. When you paper file it however it make take longer, but each state varies as to how long they request to take to process your return.

  10. Jackie says:

    I received my NY Federal Refund March 9th and still have yet to receive my NY State refund. How long will this take? TY

    • admin says:

      States just like the IRS may sometimes set aside tax returns for additional review. Unfortunately at that point there is nothing further you can do but wait for their correspondence. You will need to first contact your State office to verify the status of your return.

  11. Steve says:

    I filed my return Feb first. I received my federal refund on the 23rd of Feb. It is now April 17 and I have not got them yet. The note on the NYS return website says “We have received your return and it is being processed. No further information is available at this time” which is a different message from a few weeks ago but this is ridiculous! 3 months to get my state taxes (still not received clearly) is just absurd! HELPPPP

    • admin says:

      Hello Steve,

      From my understand, it sounds like the NY state has received your return but are taking additional time to review and determine your status. You may call your state Department of Revenue to speak to a live representative regarding a status update.

  12. jim says:

    i filed both Federal and NY via Turbo tax in mid Feb. Got my Fed refund in about 2 weeks. Am still waiting for NY refund as of April 20!!

    • admin says:

      It would be best for you to contact your NY State offices to inquire about the status of your tax return. The general rule is to always check with your e-filing company to ensure that your return gets accepted, once it has received this status, then you can have peace of mind.

  13. Kathy says:

    I efiled my ny taxes April 19 it has be in process since then I contact my accountant and ny office all I get is being processed no other information its been 5 months

    • admin says:

      Hello Kathy,
      In this case it is best to contact your Department of Revenue for further details on the delay.

  14. Jessica patterson says:

    I filed my return in Jan. New York state accepted it Jan 24. I haven’t heard anything but it is being processed for weeks now. It has literally been 51 days already. Where is my state refund. I can’t get a hold of anyone to talk to in the phone

    • admin says:

      If you were notified and received an accepted status from New York State, indicating that your return did arrive in their hands, then for additional information, you will need to try your best to get into contact with them. If however, NYS never received your return, then you may have to send them another copy for processing.

  15. NYS said my refund is scheduled to be mailed March 9, still haven't received it... what's taking so long says:

    NYS refund scheduled to be mailed March 9 still haven’t received it yet.

    • admin says:

      In terms of retrieving status updates on your refund, contacting your state offices or using their where’s my refund tool is always best, as the information on the processing of your refund solely lies with them.

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