The IRS has instituted some programs to reduce exposure to fraudulent refund schemes and identity theft which may result in a delay if you are expecting a refund.  IRS stated policy is that you can generally expect your refund in less than 21 days.  

Tax refunds that are large, result from refundable credits, or are from returns that show an unusual item of income, deduction, or loss, may be delayed.  

You can track the status of your refund by using the IRS's new "Where's My Refund" tool.  The IRS suggests that you check no earlier than one day after e-filing, or four weeks after filing via paper (yes, e-file dramatically speeds up the process).  You will need to have handy the following information:  1) Social Security number, 2) filing status, and 3) the exact refund amount.  Since the IRS updates the system only once daily, there is no benefit to checking more frequently than once a day.  

New this year, the IRS will provide a status update tracking your return through three phases of processing, along with a personalized date whereby you can expect your refund once it is approved by the IRS. If your refund is extensively delayed, we can log in to the IRS system, with a signed Power of Attorney, to get more detailed information regarding the reasons for the delay. Please contact us if you need help determining the status of your refund.