Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re expecting a refund and want the funds as soon as possible.  You should mail your return as early in the tax season as possible.  You should receive your refund in approximately 4-6 weeks.  If you wait and file your return closer to the April deadline, it will take about 8 weeks.  You should also e-file your return to get your return even sooner!

You can check the status of your refund by phone or internet:

FEDERAL – Internal Revenue Services

• Call the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477 or the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954.

• Go to www.irs.gov:
  1. Select Refunds-> Where’s My Refund?
  2. Enter identifying information.

Have your return handy, you will need to refer to it to answer some questions.  To check on your refund, you will need to provide your:

• Social Security number (SSN) or another taxpayer identification number
• Filing status
• Exact amount of your refund shown on the return

You will generally receive your federal tax refund within:

• 72 hours after you e-file
• 4 weeks after you mail your paper return

STATE of California  – Franchise Tax Board

• Go to https://www.ftb.ca.gov/online/refund/index.asp

You will need the following to check the status of your income tax refund:

• Your social security number.
• Your mailing address. If your address has changed since you filed your return, please update your address online.
• The refund amount shown on your tax return.

You will generally receive your state tax refund within:

• 7-10 days if you e-filed your return.
• 8-12 weeks from the date you mailed your return.

At Villegas and Associates, Inc. we strive to give our customers the best refund possible, but experiencing a smaller tax refund could be attributed to many reasons, such as:

The IRS could have deducted these amounts from your refund:

• Delinquent federal or state taxes
• Back child support
• Past-due non-tax federal debts, like student loans

Whatever the case may be, you should receive a notice explaining the mistake or any adjustments made to your refund. The notice should include explanations of deductions for prior debts. Since your refund check and the notice come from different IRS locations, you might receive the explanation after you receive the refund check.

Yes, but in order to claim childcare expenses the age limit is 12 years old.  You will need to provide the following information, full name of child care provider, SSN or tax identification number, phone number, address and monthly child care cost.

Yes, on the day of your tax appointment remember to bring your checkbook.  We will need a voided check with your account number and routing number.

As you prepare for your tax appointment, refer to the checklist below to ensure you bring the necessary documents that pertain to your individual tax return.

Income documents

• W-2s
• 1099s
• Proof of jury duty pay
• Proof of alimony you received
• Social Security statement (1099-SSA)
• Dividend and interest statements (1099-DIV and 1099-INT)
• Retirement distributions (1099-R)
• Brokerage statements (1099-B), along with statements showing when you bought and sold your investments
• K-1 statements reporting profits from partnerships, trusts, and small businesses
• Record of income and expenses for your rental property
• Record of income and expenses for your self-employment

Other tax documents

• HUD-1 Escrow statement for property you bought or sold
• Summary of moving expenses
• Summary of educational expenses (college tuition)
• Summary of your child care, day care, or adult day care expenses
• IRA contributions (traditional, SEP, or rollovers)
• Student loan interest paid (1098-E)

Tax deduction documents

• Health care expenses (doctors, dentists, health insurance, eye-care, medicine)
• Real estate taxes
• Motor vehicle registration
• Mortgage interest paid (1098)
• Gifts to charity
• Last year’s tax preparation fees
• Job-related expenses (union dues, job education, uniforms)
• Loss of property due to casualty or theft
• Gambling losses