VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Six million tax returns have yet to be processed since 2019 as a result of a pandemic backlog.

Like many places, the Internal Revenue Service is short-staffed and handling an influx of calls.

Experts say, so far, the turnaround time for tax returns has been pretty quick this year. However, there are two new questions that if not answered correctly could delay your return several months.

Melinda Wiedenhoeft has spent the last 38 years preparing taxes at Jackson Hewitt in Virginia Beach and tells 10 On Your Side to double-check how many stimulus checks you’ve received and if you got the third one in March 2021. The same goes for the child tax credit.

“If it doesn’t match, it’s going to cause problems, and it’s going to kick you into errors, and it could be months before you get your refund,” Wiedenhoeft explained.

If you’ve already filed and checked the wrong box, you’ll need to fill out and mail a paper 1040-X form along with your original return. Wiedenhoeft says it could take four months or more to process and for you to receive your amended return.

“Honestly, just patience and time. It’s going to take time because it has to be physically looked at by a human being and the IRS. They would do the errors resolution and correct it and send out the refund at that time,” Wiedenhoeft stated.

If you’re still waiting on a 2020 return due to backlog, file your 2021 anyway.

“For this filing season, even if you don’t have last year’s return, go ahead and file this year because as I said, if you don’t have any issues, it stays in the computerized system. The refunds have been coming timely, two to three weeks. I actually had a couple of clients, they got their refund in eight days,” Wiedenhoeft said.

You can check the status of your refund here.