Just mailed my forgotten 2019 tax return certified - when to expect refund for self employed?

The IRS is currently experiencing significant backlogs with paper returns, especially for prior tax years. For a 2019 return being sent in now, you should expect to wait 6-8 months for processing, possibly longer. This is much longer than their normal timeframe, but they're still catching up from pandemic-related delays. Since this is a prior year return, you'll most likely receive a paper check rather than direct deposit. The IRS typically issues refund checks for older returns by mail regardless of whether you provide direct deposit information. As for tracking, sending it certified mail is smart - keep that receipt forever! Once the IRS receives your return, you can check the status using the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov or by creating an account on their website. However, the status might not update until they actually begin processing your return, which could take months.

Just wanted to share my experience with something that really helped me track down a missing refund. I had a similar situation with a late filing and used https://taxr.ai to help organize my documents and track my refund status. They have this feature where you can upload your certified mail receipt and tax return copy, and they'll help you keep tabs on everything. Really saved me from constantly checking the IRS website which barely updates.

I was super skeptical at first, but I gave taxr.ai a try after spending THREE HOURS on hold with the IRS about my late 2018 return. The document organization alone was worth it! I uploaded my tax docs and receipt, and they actually spotted a math error I made that would have delayed my refund even longer. Got an alert when my status changed from "received" to "processing" which took like 5 months lol. Made the waiting game less stressful knowing I'd get notified of any movement.

If you're worried about your refund and need to actually talk to someone at the IRS (which you probably will), don't waste days trying to call them directly. I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an IRS agent after trying for weeks on my own with no luck. They basically hold your place in line and call you when they have an agent on the phone. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - saved me literally hours of hold music and getting disconnected.

Ok I take back my skepticism. After wasting an entire afternoon trying to get through to the IRS about my late filing (kept getting the "call volumes are too high" message), I tried Claimyr. Got a call back in about an hour with an actual IRS agent on the line. Found out my 2018 return was sitting in processing because they needed additional verification of my identity. The agent helped me resolve it right there. Definitely worth it considering I might have waited another 6 months without knowing why my refund was stuck.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - you should also be getting interest on your refund since it's from 2019! The IRS has to pay you interest for any refund delayed beyond 45 days after the filing deadline (which would obviously apply in your case). It won't be a fortune, but hey it's something! Just make sure all your math is correct before sending it in because errors will definitely delay processing.

Make sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING! I mailed in a late 2017 return last year and it somehow got "lost" after delivery. Thank god I had sent it certified mail so I could prove they received it. Had to send the whole thing again with a copy of the certified mail receipt. Such a headache! If I could go back in time, I'd make copies of the entire return + all supporting documents + my certified mail receipt and put it all in a folder I wouldn't lose.