How Can I Track the Status of My Refund?

by | May 15, 2025 | Individual Taxes, Refunds

Here’s what HIVE AI had to say about “How can I track the status of my refund?”:

You can track the status of your tax refund through several official IRS methods. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to check your refund status:

Official IRS Refund Tracking Tools

1. Where’s My Refund? Online Tool

The “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov is the primary method for checking your refund status:

  • You can access this tool at IRS.gov/Refunds Go to IRS.gov/Refunds IRS – Publication 523: Selling Your Home
  • The tool is available 24/7 and is a fast, easy way to get information about your refund without needing to call the IRS The tool is available 24/7, and is a fast, easy way for taxpayers to get information about a refund without needing to call the IRS IRS Newsroom – IR-2025-25
  • You can check the status of refunds from the current tax year plus the two previous tax years This week, the IRS introduced a new feature that allows taxpayers to check the status of their current tax year and two previous years’ refunds. Taxpayers can select any of the three most recent tax years to check their refund status IRS Newsroom – IR-2022-109 The tool also allows taxpayers to access information about returns from tax years 2024, 2023 and 2022 IRS Newsroom – IR-2025-25

2. IRS2Go Mobile App

3. Automated Refund Hotline

When to Check Your Refund Status

You can start checking on the status of your return:

  • Within 24 hours after the IRS receives your e-filed tax return Taxpayers can start checking the status of their refund within: 24 hours after e-filing a tax year 2021 return IRS Newsroom – IR-2022-109 Taxpayers who file electronically can typically use the Where’s My Refund? tool to check the status of a tax refund within 24 hours of filing IRS Newsroom – IR-2025-25
  • Three or four days after e-filing a prior year return Three or four days after e-filing a tax year 2019 or 2020 return IRS Newsroom – IR-2022-109
  • Four weeks after mailing a paper return Four weeks after mailing a return IRS Newsroom – IR-2022-109 It takes about four weeks for the same information to be available for those filing paper returns IRS Newsroom – IR-2025-25

Information Needed to Check Your Refund

To use the refund tracking tools, you’ll need:

  • Your Social Security number or ITIN
  • Your filing status
  • The exact refund amount you’re expecting They’ll need their Social Security number or ITIN, filing status and expected refund amount from the original filed tax return for the tax year they’re checking IRS Newsroom – IR-2022-109

Understanding Refund Status Messages

The “Where’s My Refund?” tool will show one of three statuses:

  • Return Received: The IRS has received your tax return and is processing it
  • Refund Approved: Your refund has been approved and is being prepared for direct deposit or a paper check
  • Refund Sent: Your refund has been sent to your bank for direct deposit or a paper check has been mailed

Timeframes for Receiving Your Refund

  • Most refunds are issued within 21 days of e-filing if you choose direct deposit and there are no issues with your return Advise the taxpayer to allow normal return processing time and that the best way to get the most current information about their refund is through the automated systems, Where’s My Refund (WMR) on IRS.gov; IRS2GO (English and Spanish) for smart phones; or the Refund Hotline. Where’s My Refund can inform the taxpayer of the projected date of the refund. Also advise the taxpayer not to call before the normal return processing time frame have passed, as no additional information will be available. If the problem is not resolved, they will receive a letter to explain any additional requirements IRS IRM 21.4.1 Refund Research
  • Paper returns take significantly longer to process – up to 6 weeks or more

Special Situations That May Delay Your Refund

1. Returns Claiming Certain Tax Credits

If you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC):

  • By law, the IRS cannot issue these refunds before mid-February By law, we can’t issue EITC or ACTC refunds before mid-February. This includes your entire refund, not just the part that’s related to the credit you claimed on your tax return IRS – When to expect your refund if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit According to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS cannot issue these refunds before mid-February for tax returns that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. This applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with these credits. Check Where’s My Refund in mid- to late February for your personalized refund status. It’s updated once a day and remains the best way to check the status of your refund IRS IRM 21.4.1 Refund Research
  • This delay applies to your entire refund, not just the portion related to these credits The IRS can’t issue refunds before mid-February for returns that claimed the EIC or the additional child tax credit (ACTC). This applies to the entire refund, not just the portion associated with these credits IRS – Publication 4681: Canceled Debts, Foreclosures, Repossessions, and Abandonments (for Individuals)

2. Additional Information Needed

  • If the IRS needs more information from you about your return, they will send you a letter If you claim the EITC or ACTC, we may need more information from you about your return. If we do, we will send you a letter IRS – When to expect your refund if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit
  • If correspondence has been sent to you, your case will remain in suspense pending your response for up to 85 workdays ERS Status Code 221/222/223/224: correspondence has been sent to the taxpayer. The case is in unworkable suspense and waiting for the taxpayer’s response. The case will remain in suspense, pending the taxpayer’s response for up to 85 workdays IRS IRM 21.4.1 Refund Research

3. Direct Deposit Issues

If your refund was directed to the wrong account:

  • The IRS has procedures to help recover misdirected direct deposits In accordance with its own procedures, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service coordinates with the financial institution that holds directly or indirectly the deposit account into which the refund was made, requesting from the financial institution such information as is necessary to identify whether the financial institution received the refund; whether the financial institution returned, or will return, the refund to the IRS, or if no funds are available for return; whether a deposit was made into the account designated on the claim for refund; and the identity of the deposit account owner to whom the deposit was disbursed. Coordination to recover the amounts transferred. Recovery of the misdirected direct deposit refund from a financial institution shall follow the procedures established by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service shall request the return of the misdirected direct deposit refund from the financial institution that received it. The IRS may contact the financial institution directly to recover the misdirected direct deposit refund Tresuary Reg. 301.6402-2
  • When the IRS determines a misdirected direct deposit has occurred, they will issue a replacement refund Issuance of replacement refund. When the IRS has determined that a misdirected direct deposit refund has occurred, the IRS will issue a replacement refund in the full amount of the refund that was misdirected. The replacement refund may be issued as a direct deposit or as a paper check sent to the taxpayer’s last known address Tresuary Reg. 301.6402-2

When to Contact the IRS About Your Refund

You should only contact the IRS directly about your refund if:

  • It has been 21 days or more since you e-filed
  • It has been 6 weeks or more since you mailed a paper return
  • The “Where’s My Refund?” tool directs you to contact the IRS In most instances, no further action is needed. Whether you filed electronically or by paper, we will contact you by mail if we need more information or if we made a change to your return IRS IRM 21.4.1 Refund Research

Tips for Faster Refunds

  • File electronically: E-filing is much faster than paper filing
  • Choose direct deposit: Direct deposit refunds are typically processed one week earlier than paper check refunds If the taxpayer failed to do so, the ASFR computer system would automatically prepare a notice of deficiency determining the liability reflected in the substitute for return. The file containing the prepared notice of deficiency would then be sent from the originating service center to a printing site in Detroit, Michigan, or Ogden, Utah. Under standard procedures, at the printing site the notice of deficiency would be printed with a certified mail tracking number on the cover sheet; the certified mail tracking number on the cover sheet would be displayed through the window of the envelope in which the notice was placed. A PS Form 3877 would be created in conjunction with the notices of deficiency sent to the printing site and would include the intended taxpayers’ names and addresses along with the certified mail tracking numbers printed on the notices of deficiency. The USPS employee who retrieved the notices of deficiency from the printing site was required to verify that he or she had received articles of mail that each bore the same name, address, and certified mail tracking number as those on the PS Form 3877; once he or she had done so, he or she would place a USPS postmark on the PS Form 3877 to indicate receipt Dawson U.S. Tax Court Opinions: Ivan Rivas
  • Ensure your return is accurate: Errors can delay processing
  • Check “Where’s My Refund?” once a day: The IRS updates the tool every 24 hours, usually overnight We update these applications once a day, usually overnight. This means there’s no need to check the status more often IRS – When to expect your refund if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit

Conclusion

The fastest and most efficient way to track your tax refund is through the IRS’s automated systems: the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov, the IRS2Go mobile app, or the automated refund hotline. These systems provide the most up-to-date information about your refund status and can tell you when to expect your refund.

Remember that most refunds are issued within 21 days for e-filed returns with direct deposit, but certain factors like claiming specific tax credits or errors on your return can cause delays. If you haven’t received your refund within the expected timeframe, use the tracking tools first before contacting the IRS directly.

Sources:

  • IRS.gov/Refunds
  • IRS2Go mobile app
  • IRS automated refund hotline: 800-829-1954

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