The statutory mission of the Iowa Department of Revenue is to serve Iowans and support state government by collecting all taxes required by law, but no more.

Processing of Iowa income tax refunds may be slower this year.

You may have noticed that this year is quite different relative to last filing season.  You can read more about how the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR) is keeping your identity and your refund safe in the Tips for Filing Your 2016 Iowa Income Taxes released in early January.  One result of this effort is that the review of returns will take longer, slowing down the processing of refunds.

You can track the progress of your return on your mobile phone or on IDR’s website at https://apps.idr.iowa.gov/wheresmyrefund/GetRefundStatus.   The website will update real-time as your return is processed to give you the most up to date information regarding the progress of your refund.  

If IDR has a question about your return or needs additional information, the Department will reach out via paper correspondence. In this case no news is good news! Please be patient and check the Where's My Refund website for updates. When your refund payment is approved, the message will update with a payment amount and a payment issue date.