Retrieve Forms Online

• Instead of waiting for your various tax forms, like 1098s from a mortgage company or student loan company, try to retrieve them online. If you manage these accounts online, sometimes the company posts tax forms for download well in advance of sending them through the mail. Many employers post W-2s online for employees to retrieve. Start checking for these forms on your online accounts during the first month of the year.
  
  

E-File

• If you want to receive your tax refund fast, you should e-file instead of filling out the forms by hand. When filing paper returns, refunds can take six weeks or more. Electronically filed the tax returns are processed usually within 72 hours, and you receive your refund in about three weeks.
  
  

Choose Direct Deposit Over Paper

• Opting to receive your refund via direct deposit instead of a paper check speeds the process as well. Choosing direct deposit comes with a processing time of about eight to 14 days after the return is accepted, while waiting for a paper check could take three weeks or more. You can check IRS Publication 2043 each year for estimates of how fast your refund takes with direct deposit.
  
  

Refund Loan Warning

• Some tax preparation businesses offer loans, sometimes called "rapid refund" loans, which allow the individual to receive cash for the refund almost immediately --- sometimes even before his W-2s and other tax forms arrive. When the tax preparation company quotes the refund amount, keep in mind that it's deducting the interest, fees and other preparation costs first. So for instance, if the true refund is $1,000, and fees total $200, the preparer quotes the final refund as $800. The annual percentage rate (APR) on a fast refund loan could be as high as 500 percent.