I should note that there are specific procedures when a check doesn't arrive. If it's been less than 14 business days since the mail date, the IRS won't consider it missing yet. Between 14-28 business days, they can place a trace on it. After 28 business days, they'll officially declare it lost and reissue. However, if you initiate a trace too early, it can actually delay things further as they'll make you wait until the full waiting period has elapsed before taking action.

Same situation here! May 15th mail date and still nothing in my mailbox as of today. I'm in Texas and starting to wonder if there's some regional delay happening. The waiting is definitely stressful, especially when you're counting on that money for bills. I've been using the USPS Informed Delivery that someone mentioned earlier, but still no preview of the check coming. At least it's good to know I'm not the only one - makes me feel a bit better that this seems to be a widespread issue with the May 15th batch rather than just my check getting lost somewhere.

Just a warning to anyone thinking about reporting someone - make absolutely sure you're right before doing it. My neighbor reported my small business because I have a lot of clients coming to my home office and she assumed I wasn't reporting the income. IRS did contact me and I had to provide documentation, but thankfully I keep meticulous records. The audit was still super stressful even though I hadn't done anything wrong. When it was all over, the IRS agent actually told me they get a lot of "neighborhood dispute" reports that turn out to be nothing. I'm pretty sure my neighbor was just mad about the extra cars parking on our street.

This is really helpful info, everyone! I'm in a similar situation where I suspect a contractor has been underreporting income. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like the key is having solid documentation rather than just suspicions. A few follow-up questions for those who've been through this: 1. What kind of evidence is most compelling to the IRS? Bank records, receipts, witness statements? 2. Is there any risk of retaliation if the person figures out who reported them? I know the IRS doesn't reveal the reporter's identity, but in small communities it might be obvious. 3. For those who mentioned the reward programs - is it worth going through the Whistleblower Office (Form 211) even for smaller cases, or should I stick with the basic fraud reporting (Form 3949-A)? I'm leaning toward reporting because it's clearly a pattern of behavior, not just a one-time mistake. But I want to make sure I do it right and have realistic expectations about what might happen next.

just called the state tax office and they said theres a system wide delay affecting some 2/14 deposits. should be resolved by end of week

I'm in the same situation with a 2/14 state refund date! Still waiting but feeling a bit better after reading that there's a system-wide delay. Has anyone tried checking their state's "Where's My Refund" portal to see if there's any updated status info?

got mine! deposited at 3am this morning. hang in there!

I'm in the same situation! Filed early and got the 2/14 date too. Been refreshing my banking app every hour like it's going to magically appear lol. Reading through these comments is actually really helpful - didn't realize Valentine's Day being a holiday could affect processing times. Guess I'll try to be patient for a few more days before I start panicking!

USPS has been super slow lately ngl. Had a mail date of 8/25 and didnt get mine til almost October in Michigan

Same here! Mail date 9/9 and still waiting in Ohio. Called my local post office and they said to give it another week since there have been delivery delays in my area. Really frustrating but trying to stay patient. At least we're not alone in this!