The Refund Process

As of May 12, 2023, the N.C. Department of Revenue issued approximately 2.3 million 2022 Individual Income Tax refunds. The average processing time for all refunds issued this year is 3 weeks for electronically filed returns that did not get held up for additional inspection to ensure there is no refund fraud. Some refunds took longer than 4 weeks; however, most recent refunds were issued in less than 4 weeks. You may check the status of your individual refund at Where’s My Refund.

Disclaimer: Allow additional time to receive your refund if you requested a paper check. Also, some returns may take longer to process due to additional measures implemented to protect your identity and ensure you receive the appropriate refund. Finally, if you filed a paper return, the process could take up to 12 weeks.

Where's My Refund

Use the Where’s My Refund application for an up-to-date report on the status of your refund. The information shown in the application is the same information our phone representatives have.

For refunds taking longer to process due to missing or incorrect information, identity verification or other reasons, phone representatives are unable to provide additional information until at least 60 days after filing your return. 

Overview of the Refund Process 

Fraud Protection 

To protect your refund, we use numerous data sources and capabilities to detect fraud. Additional processing times prevent identity theft. We may contact you for more information before issuing your refund; our enhanced identity theft security measures require additional customer verification for your protection. You can use the employee verficiation procedure to verify the identity of any Department employee who contacts you. 

If you believe your refund was lost, stolen, or destroyed, use these resources: 

• Report tax fraud
• Read more about identity theft 
• Tax fraud alert for individuals 

Common reasons that may cause delays

• We found a math error on your return or have to make another adjustment. If our adjustment causes a change to your refund amount, you will receive a notice.
• You used more than one form type to complete your return. The form type is identified in the top left corner of your return. We will return your State tax return for you to complete using the correct form type before we can process your return. View example of form types.
• Your return was missing information or incomplete. Sometimes returns are missing information such as signatures, ID numbers, bank account information, W-2s, or 1099s. We will contact you to request this information so we can process your return. Please respond quickly so we can continue processing your return.
• Your return was selected for additional review. As refund fraud resulting from identify theft has become more widespread, we’re taking extra steps to review all individual income tax returns we receive to be sure refunds go to the rightful owners. Additional safeguards can mean that it takes us longer to process your refund. However, our goal is to stop fraudulent refunds before they’re issued, not to slow down your refund.

Refund different than you expected?

We may have made an adjustment to your return that caused a change in your refund. You should receive a Notice of Adjustment explaining our change and your new refund amount. Review our Received a Notice page for more information about this notice.

Still have questions?

Click on the FAQs tab on this page for additional information. 

• Refund Status
• How to Submit a Duplicate Return
• Expired, Lost or Undeliverable Checks
• Impact of Other Debts 
• Miscellaneous 

Refund Status

How can I check the status of my refund?

You can check the status of your refund online by using our Where’s My Refund? web service. In order to view status information, you will be prompted to enter the social security number listed on your tax return along with the exact amount of your refund shown on line 34 of Form D-400, Individual Income Tax Return. 

How often are refund checks mailed?

Refund checks are mailed weekly.

How long does it take to receive an amended refund?

You should receive your amended refund within six months from the date filed. If it has been more than five months since you filed your amended return, please call 1-877-252-3052 for assistance. Select the option for l Individual Income Tax then listen for the Refund option to speak with an agent. Please do not call 1-877-252-4052 as instructed in the main greeting. Interest will be paid on amended refunds at the applicable rate.

How to Submit a Duplicate Return

I have checked the status of my return and I was told there is no record of my return being received. What should I do?

Due to the late approval of the state budget, which included multiple tax law changes, the Department has experienced delays processing returns.  If you filed your return electronically and received an acknowledgment, your return has been received but may not have started processing.  Follow the guidance below based on your filing method:

Filed Electronically:

If it’s been more than six weeks since you received an acknowledgment email, please call 1-877-252-3052.

Filed Paper:

If it’s been more than 12 weeks since you mailed your original return, you can mail a duplicate return to NC Department of Revenue, P O Box 2628, Raleigh, NC 27602, Attn: Duplicate Returns. The word "Duplicate" should be written at the top of the return that you are mailing. The duplicate return must be an original printed form and not a photocopy and include another copy of all wages statements (w-2’s, 1099’s, etc.) as provided with the original return.

Expired, Lost or Undeliverable Checks

My refund check has been lost, destroyed or stolen. What should I do?

If your refund has been lost, destroyed or stolen, please request another check.

I have moved to another address since I filed my return. My refund check could have been returned to the Department as an undeliverable check. What do I need to do to get my check forwarded to my new address?

In most cases, the US Postal Service does not forward refund checks. To update your address, please complete the Change of Address Form for Individuals, call the Department toll-free at 1-877-252-3052, or write to: North Carolina Department of Revenue, Attn: Customer Service, P.O. Box 1168, Raleigh, NC 27602-1168.

My refund check is now six months old. Will the bank still cash the check?

A check from the NC Department of Revenue is valid up to six months after the date on the check. If a check date is older than six months, you should mail a letter along with the refund check to NC Department of Revenue, Attn: Customer Service, P O Box 1168, Raleigh, NC 27602-1168. Your check will be re-validated and re-mailed to you.

Impact of Other Debts 

I checked the status of my refund and I was told that all or a portion of my refund has been applied to my balance owed with the NC Department of Revenue. I was not aware that I owe the Department. Who can I call to get more information?

You can call toll-free at 1-877-252-3052 to get information about your balance with the Department.

If I owe the IRS or a State agency, will I receive my NC refund?

In some cases debts owed to certain State, local, and county agencies will be collected from an individual income tax refund.  If the agency files a claim with the Department for a debt of at least $50.00 and the refund is at least $50.00, the debt will be set off and paid from the refund.  The Department will notify the debtor of the set-off and will refund any balance which may be due.  The agency receiving the amount set-off will also notify the debtor and give the debtor an opportunity to contest the debt.  If an individual has an outstanding federal income tax liability of at least $50.00, the Internal Revenue Service may claim the individual's North Carolina income tax refund.  For more information, see G.S. §105-241.7(e) and Chapter 105A of the North Carolina General Statutes.

Miscellaneous

Where should I mail my return if I am due a refund?

You should mail the return to NC Department of Revenue, P O Box R, Raleigh NC 27634-0001.

My spouse has passed away and my tax refund check was issued in both names. How can I get this corrected?

Since a joint return was filed, the refund check must be issued jointly. When presenting the check for payment, you may want to include a copy of the death certificate to show you as surviving spouse. You may return the check to the Department and we will include "Surviving Spouse" and "Deceased" next to the respective names on the check. Should you need to return the check, please mail to: NC Department of Revenue, Attn: Customer Service, P O Box 1168, Raleigh NC 27602-1168.

I received a Form 1099-G from the NC Department of Revenue. What does this mean and will I receive a refund?

If you claimed itemized deductions on your federal return and received a state refund last year, you will receive a postcard size Form 1099-G statement. This form shows the amount of the state refund that you received last year but does not mean that you will receive an additional refund. Generally, your State income tax refund must be included in your federal income for the year in which your check was received if you deducted the State income tax paid as an itemized deduction on your federal income tax return. Please view the Frequently Asked Questions About Form 1099-G and Form 1099-INT page for additional information about Form 1099-G and Form 1099-INT.

Will I receive interest on my refund?

You will receive interest on your refund if your refund is not issued within 45 days from the date the return was due to be filed, the date the return is filed, or the date of the overpayment, whichever is later.