Where’s My Tax Refund?

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  • Published Jan 31, 2014 - [Updated Sep 7, 2017]
  • 3 min read

The IRS officially opened for the 2014 tax season today and a common question asked around this time is “Where’s My Refund?”

Many taxpayers also have questions about how the process of getting tax refunds and refund timing works.

We know you work hard for your money and wanted to answer some of the most common questions we see about the issuance of tax refunds.

Here is a breakdown of how your tax return will progress through 3 stages with the IRS -“Return Received”, “Return Approved”, and “Refund Sent” once you e-file and where you can go to check your refund status so you understand “Where’s My Refund?”:

Refund Process

  1. Start checking status 24 – 48 hours after e-file – Once you e-file with direct deposit, you can start checking the status of your return 24 – 48 hours after you e-file on the IRS Where’s My Refund tool.
  2. Return Received Notice within 24 – 48 hours after e-file – The IRS Where’s My Refund tool will show “Return Received” status once they begin processing your tax return.  You will not see a refund date until the IRS finishes processing your tax return and approves your tax refund.
  3. Status change from “Return Received” to “Refund Approved” – Once the IRS finishes processing your tax return and confirms your tax refund is approved, your status will change from “Return Received” to “Refund Approved”.  Sometimes the change in status can take a few days, but it could take longer and a date will not be provided in Where’s My Refund? until your tax return is processed and your tax refund is approved.
  4. Where’s My Refund? tool shows refund date – The IRS will provide an actual refund date once your status moves to “Refund Approved”.  The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in 21 days or less.
  5. Where’s My Refund? shows “Refund Sent” – You’re now closer to your biggest tax refund! If the status in Where’s My Refund? shows “Refund Sent”, the IRS has sent your tax refund to your financial institution for direct deposit.  It can take 1 to 5 days for your financial institution to deposit funds into your account.  If you requested that your tax refund be mailed, it could take several weeks for your check to arrive.

Here are more answers to your common questions about your tax refund:

Will I see a date right away when I check status in “Where’s My Refund”? 

Where’s My Refund will not give you a date until your tax return is received, processed, and your tax refund is approved by the IRS

It’s been longer than 21 days since the IRS has received my tax return and I have not received my tax refund.  What’s happening?

Some tax returns take longer than others to process depending on your tax situation.  Some of the reasons it may take longer are incomplete information, an error, or the IRS needs to review it further.

What other sources can I use to check my refund status?

Once you have e-filed your tax return with TurboTax, you can check your status using MyTurboTax.  You can even check your status on the go from your mobile device using TurboTax free app MyTaxRefund.

If you haven’t e-filed your taxes yet, you can start today.  You may even be able to e-file your federal tax return for free and have your biggest tax refund in your pocket within 21 days.

Lisa Greene-Lewis
Lisa Greene-Lewis

Written by Lisa Greene-Lewis

Lisa has over 20 years of experience in tax preparation. Her success is attributed to being able to interpret tax laws and help clients better understand them. She has held positions as a public auditor, controller, and operations manager. Lisa has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show, the Ellen Show, and major news broadcast to break down tax laws and help taxpayers understand what tax laws mean to them. For Lisa, getting timely and accurate information out to taxpayers to help them keep more of their money is paramount. More from Lisa Greene-Lewis

Follow Lisa Greene-Lewis on Twitter.

3,444 responses to “Where’s My Tax Refund?”

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  1. Why do we file with TT and pay if we can get itsooner with in office?I would like a REAL answer from TT.Not the bull you have been giving us.This will be my last year ith TT

    Reply

  2. My DD Date is 02/06/14. I used the service with turbo tax where they deduct the cost of processing the returns from your return amount. That being said if the DD from the IRS is scheduled for 02/06/14 when should intuit deposit the funds into the account that I gave them when filing?

    Reply

  4. I submitted mines Jan 10th. It was accepted on the 30th. DD is tomorrow. I sure hope it comes through. I’m trying to move and have today this darn title loan. Some one said the bank can hold it a few days. I havd BOA. Is that true?

    Reply

  5. My refund was accepted on the 29 and then approved on31st I got a date of the 10th I opted for a check will it be mailed on the10th what I’m asking is when should I expect my check

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  6. I got an approval and a date and a date of the 10th for my refund I opted for a check is the 10th the day it will be mailed out?

    Reply

  7. We did ours jan 14th through turbo tax. We still don’t have an expected date. It’s still on the first step. I know someone else who filed the 30th and is scheduled to get it the 8th…I guess you never know what to expect! We received ours the first week of feb last year.

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    • I filed TT free addition and filed to have it DDep. Now I find out that something went wrong with TT and hundreds are not deposited, instead IRS is sending out paper checks. WHY? Who knows. Turbo Tax isnt answering quesstions to hundreds.

      Reply

  8. This says it takes 1-5 business days for your bank to deposit your money. That’s not true. Your bank accepts your funds directly into your account as soon as its recieved. I think this should be edited because it will cause confusion and have customers asking questions at their banks that Turbotax should be answering. I’ve used Turbotax before. What happens is that your refund is deposited into a bank that Turbotax uses. Fees are calculated. An amount is determined and THAT bank sends those funds out to your account. It then takes 1- 5 business days to deposit to YOUR bank account. I know this because I had an issue and had to contact that bank ( I think it was in California. ) please update the Q&A so that it is ACCURATE and TRUE.

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  9. I filed my tax on 1/27/2014 got approve on 1/30/2014 and said I will receive my money dd on 2/6/2014 so I find out tomorrow if im really going to get it.

    Reply

  10. This is the message I received for my state taxes after I was told by turbo tax that it was accepted please help. A return has not been submitted for this taxable period.

    Reply
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