By Jack Newton

A common question heard at tax time is “how long does it take to get my refund back?” Consumers, especially those struggling in tough economic times, look forward to the financial boost that a tax refund gives. The good news is that the IRS provides the necessary tools that make finding the status of a federal tax refund check just a mouse click away. With state refund checks however, it’s a little trickier since you have to know which state agency controls the tax return process. In this article, we’ll guide you through the IRS’s guidelines for when how long the refund check should take, and review the proper channels for getting both federal and state tax fund questions answered.

Federal Tax Refunds

How you file your taxes, via either U.S. mail or electronic filing, dictates how long it normally takes to receive a refund. Filing a return through the mail is, of course, the slower of the two processes. For those who mail their federal return, the IRS will remit a tax refund within six weeks after they have been received the completed return. If you file electronically, you should receive your tax refund within three weeks.

The IRS allows two options for receiving a federal tax refund: paper check sent via the mail, or an electronic funds transfer (also called a direct deposit). The direct deposit method, not surprisingly, is always the quicker option. The Federal 1040 form contains a section where consumers can opt for a direct deposit. If you want the IRS to electronically deposit your refund into more than one account you will need to file a separate form 8888.

How to Check on Your Federal Tax Refund

For anyone wanting to check the status of their tax refund, simply go to the IRS’s “where’s my refund” web site at irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html, where you’ll find an easy to use tool to request the information. If you would rather check the refund status by phone, you may call 1-800-829-1954. The IRS asks that you wait 3 days after filing electronically, or 3 weeks after mailing a return before checking for a status update. For those who file an amended return, however, the period to receive a refund check will take 8-12 weeks.

For efilers (e.g., those who file electronically) a refund cycle chart can be found at irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2043.pdf that gives target dates when either an electronic direct deposit or mailed paper check should be expected given a particular filing date.

Tips on Ensuring a Quick Refund

By eliminating mistakes, consumers can ensure that their refund is received in as timely a fashion as possible. The most common mistakes, which can cause delays in receiving a refund, are listed below:

1. Social security number missing or incorrect

2. Incorrect tax result, given reported income and filing status, was entered

3. Mathematical errors in figuring the taxable income, withholding and estimated tax payments, Earned Income Credit, Standard Deduction for age 65 or over or blind, the taxable amount of social security benefits, and child and dependent care credit

4. Items entered on incorrect line, especially estimated tax and withholding

5. General Math Errors

State Tax Refund Process

As you might expect, each state has its own specific agencies and rules that govern taxation processes. Many states have a Department of Revenue that deals with tax filings and returns, for other states it may be the Tax Commission, Department of Taxation, or some other similar named department.

To check status on a state tax refund, find the state taxation agency (via the web page at aicpa.org/yellow/yptsgus.htm) for your particular state and go their website. Most state agencies, like the IRS, provide tools or resources for consumers to check on tax refund status.

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byAlma Abell

If you are tired of paying expensive prices when you visit local Hair Salons in Salina, then you might want to consider going to a beauty school. This is an excellent option for those who are living on a tight budget and still want to access the latest beauty treatments and styles. You can find affordable treatments and hair styling services when you visit a local beauty school. They often have unique discounts and promotions available to the local community. They want to allow their students to have as much practice as possible as they continue their education. You can save quite a bit of money by accessing all of your hair styling needs through a beauty school.

Many people have been able to find an excellent hairstylist when they visit a beauty school. They develop excellent relationships that last for many years. You have the opportunity to follow their career and stick with them if they provide you with trusted hair styling services. It is an opportunity to save a significant amount of money on all of the beauty treatments that you enjoy. This includes haircuts, eyebrow waxing, conditioning treatments, color treatments and many more. It is also a great place to access all of your favorite beauty products.

It can be very frustrating to pay hundreds of dollars each time you visit Hair Salons in Salina. You can save quite a bit of extra money if you choose to get your hair done at a local beauty school. They discount their prices in order to help out their students and provide them a trusted learning environment. Often their work is overseen by a professional stylist that will be able to step in at a moments notice. The work is guaranteed and if for some reason there are any problems they strive to make it right and offer excellent customer service.

You can Contact Hays Academy Of Hair Design for more information about affordable hair styling services. They will guide you through the entire process and give you more information about all of the different types of beauty services that they have to offer.

Submitted by: Martha Pauling

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The United States of Department of Defense built the GPS as a satellite radio navigation system. GPS was originally built for military use only but the United States government later on granted the petition to let it be available to the general public. This was around the 80s when the system was still in its infancy. The three important components of GPS is the satellite, earth monitoring stations and the GPS receiver. These are currently 24 satellites orbiting the earth with each satellite completing two orbits around the earth each day. These satellites transmit signals over the earth to calculate the position of the receiver. Simply put, GPS pinpoints the location of a person anywhere in the face of the earth. There are four unmanned monitoring stations located in the US and one master station. The four stations relay position data from the satellite to the master station which in turns relay date back to the satellite. This ensures that the data is checked and rechecked to make sure that the data your receive on your GPS is accurate. A GPS receiver receives the signal transmitted by the satellites. To know your locate, you have to receive a signal from at least three satellites. It will triangulate your position in terms of latitude and longitude. If you are able to receive a forth signal then you could get the altitude as well.

The more popular use of GPS is for cars and mobile phones. For vehicles, it enables one to pinpoint your exact location without any trouble. It can help you get to where you want to go. This is probably the most popular public use of GPS. New and more expensive models of vehicles have fancy GPS tracking system installed. A GPS tracking system is especially valuable in cars in case it is stolen. If you report your vehicle is stolen, the authorities can easily locate it because of the GPS tracking system. You can recover your vehicle in no time. The GPS tracking system is small enough that it can be attached to a pet or a small child. This will definitely help you keep track of your love ones.

Another very popular use of GPS is on mobile phones. Indeed, the mobile cellular phone has transcended it usual feature of call and text. A GPS enable phone can be used as a tracking device to hunt down a persons specific location. It can help one to locate an address or navigate a new area without necessarily using a map. With GPS, you can be sure where to turn exactly to the left or right. Most new models of phones are equipped with a GPS tracking device. Blackberry phones are the forerunner in the GPS technology. To make full use of your Blackberrys GPS technology it is important to unlock it. How to unlock blackberry storm for example is information you can obtain from the web. Also unlock blackberry pearl can be researched in the internet as well.

About the Author: Martha Pauling is a techy writer who enjoys sharing info on

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