Where’s My Tax Refund?

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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-fileOnce 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.

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

  1. So..I did some research….I efiled with Turbo Tax and my expected refund is was schedule for 2/6/14 which is today. As of this evening I still have not gotten it yet. I did not pay for my fees of front, instead I chose for Turbo Tax to take my fees from my refund. So, here’s the break down. The IRS send my refund to Santa Barbara Bank, Santa Barbara gets my refund then takes out the fees, Then Santa Barbara does the direct Deposit into my bank. If this is what you chose to do then you can use this link to check the status. cisc.sbtpg.com On the home page there is a place that says Taxpayers and this is where you enter you filing status, social security number and amount of refund. This will thengive you the details as to wether they got your refund from the IRS or not. According to the IRS page mine still shows that my refund is schedule for Direct Deposit on 2/6/14 but does not show that it was sent….That is wrong. They have not updated this page. According to Santa Barbara yes, they have recieved it. It shows the amount they go and everything…so check it out. Good Luck!

  2. I just was told on the wmr site I had used up all my checks for the day !! I am sick of this, I want my money !!!!!

  3. Filed on 1/31 and rejected on 2/2, fixed and accepted the same day. Transcripts available on 2/5 and finally received my DD date on 2/6 for 2/10. I hope funds will be available Monday!!

  4. i got accepted 2/4 got a ddd of 2/6 still nothing called 18779087228 they said people expectinq refunds on 2/6 will qet them 2/7 i was a lil upset today im a first time car buyer i thouqht i was qoinq to be pushinq wheels today lol good luck for all of us tomorrow #finqers crossed .

  5. i got accepted 2/4 got a ddd of 2/6 still nothing called 18779087228 they said people expectinq refunds on 2/6 will qet them 2/7 i was a lil upset today im a first time car buyer i thouqht i was qoinq to be pushinq wheels today lol good luck for all of us tomorrow #finqers crossed

  6. I just got word from the place I filed my taxes at and it states that it has now been deposited. The IRS website and IRS phone number to check the status of your refund is gliching so it will not show a status change. So my advice call the place in which you filed with and ask them if they have heard.

    • As far as I know, I don’t think you can dd into someone else’s acct unless you’re on it as well & the irs/bank will reject it if the ss# doesn’t match.

      • You can direct deposit to any account that you want. My sister has hers sent to mine, and I know several other people who have their’s sent to other people. Never had a problem with it.

      • For the past 3 years my boys has DD into my account. The irs doesn’t care, my adult children are not on my account. I hope this help.

      • what news was that? First time this year that this is taking so long. It was accepted on 1/28, here it is almost 1 1/2 weeks later and still not approved.. wonder if it has to do with the delay this year. last year it was a very quick process.

  7. The irs webpage said mine was scheduled 2 b here 2day & it nvr came so I got on their banks website & it said it was sent after the fees were taken out when I checked the irs website it still says its scheduled 4 2day still haven’t gotten it at all I even called my bank & they said they’re not even showing a pending deposit 4 my return what is the deal with TurboTax holding ppls money this yr?!? So now when will I get it since it wasn’t here 2day???

    • I just received news from the place I filed at that said mine has now been deposited. The IRS website and call number is gliching so it doesnt say that its been deposited just that it was to be today. But the place I filed at says it was so I am good with that! Call whom ever you filed with they should know what the status is with yours!

    • Tabatha, turbo tax doesnt hold people’s money. If you read the other posts, Santa Barbara bank said IRS deposit is delayed by one day. if your direct deposit is today, it will be tomorrow apparently. the irs website clearly states to please allow 21 days for processing, why is everyone trying to micromanage this pricess? no wonder the websites are locked up and down. we all need to be patient.

      • People are hurting, and some of us really need our refund to catch up on bills, live, and so on. Lots of others are coming on her criticizing people, but wondering why if you or anyone else is not concerned, why are you here posting?

      • This comment is not based upon impatience but instead for concern. Last year, i was able to get approved within a week. It has already been a week and no sign of progress. Is this possibly related to the tax delay this year?

    • If you had the fees deducted out of your refund, then it goes to their bank before it goes to yours. The Santa Barbara bank will send it to your account immediately after deducting the payment. Sometimes that adds an extra day. It should post by Monday. (I’m in the same boat)

      • Mine has been sent to my bank from Santa Barbara bank, but the status on the irs site never highlighted the “sent” portion. I would recommend checking sbtpg.com rather than the irs site first.

    • I agree! It seems like it was much quicker last year. For some of us, it’s not a luxury to get the refund, it’s a necessity to pay bills, sadly.

    • I understand that, I am in the same boat; but it clearly states on the IRS website to allow 21 days for refunds to process and post. It seems as though people are getting bent out of shape if they haven’t seen an update a week after filing. Do you realize how many returns are being processed presently? I just think people need to be patient. It would be different if it was after the 21 day point. That is all I am saying. If you google irs tax refund schedule for 2014 it will give you an estimated deposit date.

  8. I called and they got my Irs deposit and sent mine to my bank both today I haven’t got it yet but the rep from turbo( tax product) stated you could see it 24-48 hours after they send it. I have use h& r in the past and get it the same day. A little disappointed.

  9. Well…..I should have a seat the way you guys talking…I e-filed FEB 3 via TAXACT I was accepted the same day….banks is REPUBLIC BANK…..

  10. Go to Santa Barbara banking and it tells you if they have received your money from irs. Shows they have for me and already sent it

    • yes every1 who money said deposit day feb 6th the sbbt website said it will be in on the 7th whoever used net spent its called santa babara tax group who has our money already from irs

  11. My brother and myself filed our taxes together on 1/26 and were both accepted within a day of each other but his got approved and sent by 2/6 and mine hasn’t even been approved yet. Could it be because I had mine direct deposited to his account and my name is not on the account? Or can I be getting audited?

    • Your name has to be on the account that you want the DD to go to otherwise the bank will not accept the DD. The IRS probably won’t try to DD it either

      • For the past 3 years my children have deposited their refund into my account. Their name is not on the account, Never had a problem with it.

    • @Michelle…I deposit mine into my parent’s account every year (except for this year because I opened my own account) and my name is not on their account what so ever and they always deposit it into their account. Never had a problem. Also…FILED 2/5/2014 ACCEPTED 2/8/2014…now just a waiting game. Good Luck all!

  12. Update!!!! I was scheduled for my refund today but it did not hit my bank account until after 2pm….. Meaning funds not available until tomorrow… They kept there word we were all just expecting it this morning.

  13. I did my taxes at h&r block on the 1st of Feb got email saying IRS accpected it on 3rd but website down still showing accpected then get on Harbin block site & said it was accpeted today?

  14. accidentally entered wrong income and therefore wrong withholdings. i hoped IRS would fix but am told that they will still send my refund and I will be responsible to fix via forms as they won’t recieve my W2’s for months. Is this true

    • YES THAT IS TRUE. IT TAKES ABOUT 6 MONTHS+ FOR THEM TO RECIEVE THAT INFO AND THEN THEY WILL SEND YOU A LETTER WITH THE DIFF YOU OWE UNLESS THEY OWE YOU….IN WHICH THAT CASE THEY WILL NEVER CONTACT YOU. IF YOUR TAXES ARETOTALLY SCREWED UP THEY MAY ASK YOU TO FILE AN AMMENDMENT. i HAVE HAD IT DONE BOTH WAYS. IT USUALLY TAKES THEM WELL OVER 6 MONTHS TO CATCH UP AND CONTACT YOU THOUGH.

  15. I have found that TurboTax is slower with the IRS process than other online sites. The same thing happened to me last year. Took up to two weeks to receive my refund. My sister used TaxAct she received her DD on Sunday. And that date is 2/6. I am still in the processing phase. Mine was accepted before hers. So it may take a little while.

  16. I filed and was accepted on 1/31 & mine still shows 1 bar and processing. I called the irs today and was told that my return and hundreds of others were “resequenced.” She says that so many returns came in early on that they had to resequence or push some of them off to be processed with the next batch. She went on to say that resequencing pushes you back a week, so if you filed on the 31st and it’s still processing, this is why. Finally, she said those of us who were resequenced will not see a status change until next week at the earliest:-(

    It’s a bunch of BS if you ask me…

    • What? That SUCKS.! I can’t even find a number to talk to a person. Thank you for the info. I was going nuts trying to figure out what heck was going on. I filed 1/28 and accepted 1/28 still no up date but turbo tax says it was accepted. Only one bar shows on IRS web sight. What a mess, I guess I am in the same boat as you. The funny part is if we owed and was late they charge interest but we just have to sit and take it.

    • What number did you call to talk to an actual person? I filed early and people that just filed 3 days ago already have 2/10 as their date to receive tax refund but mine is still on processing. Frustrating!

    • Thank you for the information Alecia. This has been the most helpful post I have seen as I am waiting for a DD date because I filed on the 31st and my status is still in the “received” stage only.

    • That is kind of good news. Mine was sent and accepted on the 31st but not until late at night. Mine has been on received for the whole week and trying to figure what is going on. I feel better reading this thanks!

    • That’s kind of good news for me. I was accepted on Jan. 31st at 9pm, but I’m still at received.. so this helps me to have a little insight. Still sucks, I still have not heard from my state either. good luck to ya!

  17. My schedule date is today and I’m still waiting…its not even showing it has been sent yet on wheres my Refund

  18. To anyone that is expecting a refund today, 02/06/2014, SBTPG (1-877-908-7228) states that there has been a delay in refunds and those expecting their refund on the 6th, should be receiving it tomorrow, 02/07/2014. If you are having tax fees deducted from your return, you can call the number listed above for more information.

  19. If your DDD wasToday, Feb 6 2014 – it has been delayed for deposit until tomorrow Feb 7th. The deposit will post tomorrow and in some cases, up to 5 days later based on how your bank accepts and releases funds. This information can be confirmed through the online at https://cisc.sbtpg.com/index.aspx.

    Hope this helps some who are concerned.

  20. I called early this morning and inquired if my Direct Deposit date of today is still current, she said she could not give me a time however it is still scheduled to be released sometime today.

    • Federal IRS said the same thing to me this morning and this afternoon. I asked her if there was a problem with the system she said only the wheres my refund system is having trouble. But not the system that sends the direct deposits.

  21. I filed my taxes and I got the email from TurboTax that my federal has been accepted. However, when I checked the IRS refund-tracking website it now says that my return is being reviewed and that they are going to mail me a request for further information within 30 days. (Before the IRS site said that it was return was approved, but the refund was pending). Until then (when I send them back what they request), no refund.

    Does anyone know what this means? I’m worried because I’ve never had any problem before with my taxes, so why the review now, and what information could they possibly want that they don’t already have? Does this mean I’m being audited? — I have to admit I’m worried now.

    Any answers or explanations?

      • Nothing changed on my taxes over the past years that I’ve been filing. Just not sure what’s going on.

    • With so many incidences of identity theft occurring, the IRS sometimes request additional information from filers to insure that the return is legitimate and that you are who you say you are. The same thing happened to my co-worker last year. It may not be an audit.

    • Hi,
      Frank that does not mean you are being audited. Less than 1% of taxpayers are actually audited. They may just request some additional information or want you to send in an additional form.
      Thank you,
      Lisa Greene-Lewis

    • Did you get your notice from the IRS, cause I am in the same situation. I got my notice and I have to fax in some proof of HOH and EIC, and hopefully thats the end of it..It has had me losing sleep for the past week not knowing what was wrong. I called TurboTax and the rep said” its like they throw all the returns in a bucket and pick ones to be reviewed” I don’t think so, I think the people who filed early are being targeted! filed 1/10 accepted 1/24 processed 1/31or so the site said..BS is what I say

  22. My refund said it would be deposited today 2/6 but it hasnt been and on the IRS website its not showing the “Refund Sent” bar in red. Is anyone else having this problem?

  23. I e-filed via TurboTax the night of Jan 30 and they were accepted the next morning. My status still shows processing. My sister e-filed the exact same time via TaxAct and this morning she got an EDD of 2/10. Is it just TurboTax?

      • Is it true if you can order transcripts (which i did this morning) then i should be given a date soon? Mine was accepted on 29th and still on one bar.

    • Hi Susan,
      It is not TurboTax. As you can see from all of these comments many have received their tax refunds. Everyone’s tax situation is different and IRS processing times vary depending on your tax situation.
      Thank you,
      Lisa Greene-Lewis

  24. I filed on Jan 30th and got a ‘accepted’ message on the 31st. My return is still only in the first phase but I received my State return yesterday? Does the IRS issue payments only once a week?

  25. Filed my taxes on Jan 20, got accepted the 27th, and it’s been processing ever since, it’s a simple form too, with only the education credit. So much for first come first serve, should have filed on the 31st, kind of need that money to finish paying for my tuition.

  26. Taxpayers please be aware that there has been a slight delay in IRS funding, impacting clients of Tax Products Group and banks industry-wide!

    If the IRS website indicates that your refund will be available February 6th, funds will not be available until February 7th due to the IRS releasing funds one day later than expected. Taxpayers expecting their refund on the 6th by direct deposit will now likely receive their refund on the 7th. Please be assured that Tax Products Group will disburse funds immediately as they are received from the IRS.

    I just found this.

  27. Technically the IRS said they are not processing any filings until Feb 1st. I wonder if those who efiled before the 1st are running into a slower process for not waiting until the 1st to file. They say they hold them in line till the open date to file but who knows. I do know someone who filed on the 25th and her money was deposited today. Strange there is no consistency.

    • same here we shoukd be first in line whomever filed before the 31st if they were accepted the 1st i swear mine were accepted the night i had them done at liberty by dd is 2/10 but i think i might get them sooner on the net spend card acn anyone help that has been through liberty

  28. I hope this helps some people. My DD was expected today 2/6/14, but I have not received it. I checked the Santa Barbara website, and they have a notice saying that due to the IRS releasing funds slowly, anyone scheduled for 2/6/14, will recieve the refund on 2/7/14. You can go into thier site and track whether it has been sent to your bank or not. This may take some of the anxiety of this slower than normal process. Be blessed folks!

  29. the irs where my refund tool says my refund is to deposit on Feb 6th 2014. But I checked my account and it is not there. Also the refund tool does not say refund sent yet. But is was supposed to show up in my account today. I called the hotline number and the date for refund still is Feb 6th. I’m so confused. Help me.

  30. It also does say it could take 1 to 5 days for your bank to deposit funds in account so it could just be the banks being slow to post it who knows

  31. I just called Santa Barbara Tax Group and found out they sent my disbursement to my bank already…. I have Netspend and you’re suppose to get your money faster however Netspend says they don’t see the deposit…. However I already received my state… Weird

    • I filed with a tax preparer who uses EPS Financial they sent it through to my bank but my bank doesn’t see it yet either

      EPS said it could take 24-72 hrs to show

  32. I did my taxes on feb.1, 2014, last night it showef yhet received it. My question is how long does it take from return receive to return approved?

    • This website only seems to work if you had the fees deducted from the refund, I paid in advance and it doesn’t recognize me

    • That’s only if you had fees taken out of your refund though right? I paid my fees upfront with a cr. card so that my money would go directly into my bank. So I don’t think this site would have any info on the ones that paid upfront?

  33. My DD date is the 6th more than likely it will show up tomorrow every year tax refunds either show up on Friday or Mondays so all of you guys that are worried about ur refund be patient it should be there tomorrow. My paycheck DD tomortow as well double score

  34. Has anyone received an approval with a DD who submitted their taxes on 1/31 I’m still waiting and it is still saying processing

    • Mine also says processing and hasn’t moved. I was accepted on the 31st and still have no other information as of today the 6th. Hang in there, it will eventually come.

  35. I just went on SSB&T website and if you put in your information, your account will pull up. It also says in bold red letters that there has been a delay and people with DD of 2/6 will be getting them deposited a day later and once they receive it they will disburse the funds. Also even then your bank may hold the deposit for a few days. My bank holds for 2-3 days. https://cisc.sbtpg.com/taxpayers/status.aspx

  36. My taxes got accepted on Jan 22, 2014 I was suppose to receive my refund today. The website still references todays date and I have not received it. I know its not my Financial Institution because they release fund as soon as they are received. I even get my pay check 2 days earlier than my pay day. So there is something wrong with the IRS

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