Yeah, this sounds wild, but it totally happens that some people never get their $3000 irs tax refund. It’s not super common, but stuff can mess it up—my neighbor had this problem last year, actually. The biggest reasons are missing info, like a wrong Social Security number, wrong bank account info for direct deposit, or even just not signing your return if you filed by paper.

Another reason is the IRS thinks something shady is happening, like fraud or identity theft, so they freeze the refund to look into it more. If you owe a bunch of money to the government (like back taxes, child support, or old federal loans), they might take all or part of your refund, too, and not tell you until your refund basically disappears. Also, sometimes if you file after the deadline and don't qualify for an extension, you might lose your chance to get a refund.

If it’s been way longer than usual and you've checked everything, I'd use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool and maybe even call the IRS to see what’s going on. Sometimes you gotta really push to get answers, but most folks do eventually get their money, just not always when they want it! Hope yours comes soon!