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Where’s My Tax Refund How to Check Your Refund Status (1440 × 600 px)
Where’s My Tax Refund How to Check Your Refund Status (411 x 600)

Where’s My Tax Refund? How to Check Your Refund Status

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The average direct deposit tax refund was close to $3,100 last tax season, and with tax season well underway, it’s no surprise that the most common tax season-related question we’re now hearing is: “Where’s my refund?”

The time it takes the IRS to process your tax refund is based on how you chose to file your tax return – either e-file or by mail.

  • E-filed tax returns with direct deposit: E-file with direct deposit is the fastest way to get your federal tax refund. Typically, the IRS expects to issue most tax refunds within 21 days after acceptance if there are no issues.
  • Mailed paper returns: Avoiding a paper return is more important than ever to avoid refund delays, if possible. The IRS cautions if you need your refund quickly do not file on paper. Usually, the IRS says to allow 4 weeks before checking the status of your refund, and that refund processing can take 6 to 8 weeks from the date the IRS receives your return.    
Close-up of a man taking a picture of a paper check to upload to the bank.

Tax Refund Processing

  • Start checking status 24 – 48 hours after e-file: Once you have e-filed your tax return, you can check your status using the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool. You will need your Social security number or ITIN, your filing status, and your exact refund amount. 
  • 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 need the following information when checking refund status: Social security number or ITIN, your filing status, and your exact federal tax refund amount shown on the tax return. You will not see a tax refund date until the IRS finishes processing your tax return and approves your tax refund.
  • 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.” The change in status can take a few days, and a tax refund date will not be provided in Where’s My Refund? until your tax return is processed and your tax refund is approved.
  • Where’s My Refund? tool shows refund date: The IRS will provide a personalized refund date once your status moves to “Refund Approved.” 
  • Where’s My Refund? shows “Refund Sent”: 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 opted to receive your tax refund via mail, it could take several weeks for your check to arrive.

 You could experience delays in receiving your tax refund if your return:

  • Includes errors – The IRS has indicated that your refund could be delayed if the information you provided on your tax return does not match the IRS records. 
  • Is incomplete – If you didn’t have all of your documents and filed an inaccurate return
  • Needs further review in general
  • Is affected by identity theft or fraud
  • Includes Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax CreditUnder the Path Act, the IRS cannot issue a refund that includes the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit before mid-February.
  • Includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation PDF, which could take up to 14 weeks to process
Close-up of a woman checking her bank account.

Tax Refund Status FAQ

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

The IRS Where’s My Refund? tool will not give you a date until your tax return is received, and 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 include incomplete information, an error, or the IRS may need to review it further.

I requested my money be automatically deposited into my bank account, but I was mailed a check. What happened?

The IRS is limiting the number of direct deposits that go into a single bank account or prepaid debit card to three tax refunds per year. Your limit may have been exceeded. In addition, for a small number of returns, the IRS decides there may be indications that the bank account on the return is suspicious and they may decide to issue a check instead.

2,010 responses to “Where’s My Tax Refund? How to Check Your Refund Status”

  1. I flied my tax return with Jackson Hewitt on 1/28/2015. I know that it takes up to 48hrs to process a return but my return still has not been accepted. I’m trying to understand this because none of information has changed since last year. What could possibly be the hold up considering that everyone else has received their refund.

  2. ok so I filed on 1/30 and got accepted right away finally I woke up to approved and a dd of 2/11/15 is there a chance it will be before than or not? on emerald card from h and r

  3. A few things. Once the computer has finished your return it appears as a transcript….hence the notations “from computer” on the transcript. The transcript will load regardless of your refund being approved or not. The codes mean nothing. Some may coincidentally match and folks are extrapolating that to mean a DD date. Not true. If your return is itemized or has more deductions than a simple 1040ez then your return takes longer to process than your cousin Mary Sue who filed a simple form. The bars disappearing on WMF means the graphics can’t load due to the amount of traffic on he system so it defaults to the old view. Don’t read anything into it. Sit tight. If there is an issue with your return you will be given instructions on WMF or by mail.

  4. Just wanted to let you guys know that I am seeing most people I know are getting approved for a date of next week so far. I filed on 02/03 was accepted the same day and just got my approval this morning for a date of next week and I was also able to order my transcripts this morning. Just keep in mind that everyone has different things on their taxes so I urge you all not to get discouraged. Take Care guys

  5. Hello everyone I have an update I was one of the ones who status didn’t show a bar and filed my taxes on the 31st and got accepted the same day checked my transcripts and they were all there my transcript said I will get my taxes on the 23rd yet I woke up and checked the WMR site again just to see if I will have bars this time and I do with an approval and date of February 11th to get my refund in my bank

  6. For those of you who can’t get any information on the status of your refund, if you’ve paid for medical put in the amount of refund before they deducted the penity, that what happen to me two weeks ago I kelp putting in the wrong amount of refund the irs didn’t penalize me for not having medical insurance.

  7. Hey guys, I filed and was accepted on 1/27, it just now turned to approved on 2/7 and says my DD will be sent on 2/11 and I should have it by 2/16. I will post when I actually get it. This has been a long frustrating processes.

  8. I filedl my taxes on 23rd, was accepted on 23rd but haven’t got approved and haven’t got a date sice, what in the world is going on?

  9. If the transcript shows a processing date of feb 23, does that mean that’s the direct deposit date or just the date that batch goes?

  10. I filed the 30th and accepted the same day. Only one bar but transcripts are available and show the 23rd. Is that the DD date? Or could it arrive sooner?

  11. wow really I just was able to view my transcript and im not getting my refund until February 23rd that is 34 days not 21 and yes it was the stupid obamacare penalty holding it up and the even worse part is I was not given the opportunity to not get the penalty due to hardship of not being able to afford it and my daughter used turbo tax and could and was told it was on the honor system to even report it are you kidding me so I was honest and got penalized not only money but time wasted on getting the rest ! jeez if this is any indication of how things are going at the irs I will just file exempt and get all my money back thru out the year!

    • Mine is the 23rd too per the transcript and I have healthcare thru work so that’s not the hold up for us. How did you find out the specific reason for delay?

    • no thats not right. if u notice it also says cycle 20150505 and that does not mean may 5th either. it means next wed. the 11th. trust me as long as you can find cycle 20150505, than that is the date. I understand it says refund and then feb 23rd. mine says the same. but that is not the ddd date.

    • I was just able to view my transcripts yesterday which said I would get my refund on the 23rd also. However, today on WMR it says approved and a DDD of 2/11. I thought the IRS only deposited on Fridays. ??

    • its your own fault if you didnt get the exemmption due to hardship… all you had to do was go thru the process of filling out an app on healthcare.gov. if your income qualified, you wouldve received a summary with the code to enter…#getinformed. they cant hold your hand thru it all.

  12. I was accepted on 01/26/15 and this am i finally got approved with a DDD of 02/10/15 today so we will see. I have no idea what took so long. But today i cannot access my transcripts, giving a technical error and advising to try again later. Yesterday I was but my 2014 wasnt available. Not sure why this is happening tho.

    • I feel you I filed the 28th, along with 2 of my relatives (my mother and my uncle) and she already got her return and he knows his is coming monday while mine hasnt even been approved…

      • i filed on jan 30 got accepted same day but here its the 6th of feb and no approved yet..i wonder why its taken so long

  13. The irs says that they sent my refund money to my bank account the Feb 4th and I called my bank and they told me they have not recieved anything. What do I do now?

  14. I filed Jan.24 and I checked where is my refund and I have a DDD of Feb.9.So whoever filed in da week of 1/20 should be receiving there taxes next week sometime.Good luck.

  15. I love how Turbo Tax says 0% have got their refund so far, yet some people in this blog say they have received theirs….confused. I too am waiting – but I only filed and got accepted on the 1st, than again that doesn’t seem to matter (the date you file) because later filed dates are getting the same treatment as earlier filers.

  16. I did my taxes on the 9, accepted on the 12. It finally switched over on the 30 showing it would be DO on the 4. It is now the 6 and I still don’t have it. Anyone know where I can check to see what’s going on? I already called my bank to check with them and they have not received anything yet. Totally frustrating. 🙁

  17. I filed my taxes on the 31 and my grandma filed on the 1 of February and she is getting her refund on the 9 why mines still say processing and I filed before she did

  18. The same thing happened to be I got a email saying congratulations the irs accepted your taxes. Yet when I use the where’s my refund on the irs website says I have to wait 24 hrs after its been accepted for an updates its been almost a week since the acceptance email.

    • You may be putting some information in wrong it was saying the same thing for me also until i changed my filing status when i was checking from single to head of household…i forgot i filed head.of household instead of sjngle

  19. Regarding number (5) “Refund Sent” status on this article post.

    This year it seems faster than others years. Even sending out lots of refunds before the anticipated Feb 6.

    If a “mailed check” and “refund sent to the bank” happen on the same day you will get the refund check two days later in most typical US mailboxes. One day slower than bank transfer.

    If your refund check was mailed on a Friday you will have to wait until Monday in some US mailboxes.

    Typically they mail out refund checks on Friday but this year seems like other days.

    • we filed that date to at h and r we still have no info its still processing my daughter filed a week later and they have there refund me its still processing what the heck

    • I filed got approve and sent direct deposit feb 4 only to find out my husband added a check number to the account number they said if there is any errors that way they just mail a check out does anyone know how long it takes to get a mailed check

  20. I filed on 1/20. It still says processing. I have 2 co workers who filed after I did and they already have their refund. I called the IRS and they said call them on 2/11 if I still haven’t received my refund. I have never experienced this long of a wait. Kind of irritated.

  21. I filed mine 1/20… Got accepted same day… Well here it is 2/4th and still in processing and no approval let… I know others who filed on same day as me (20th) and already have their money… I tried calling IRS but they refuse to give any info and refused to look at my tax record to see if there is any possible issues that could be a hold up. All they say is call back if I do not get a approval after the 21 days from filing… Ugh! Getting fusterated.

  22. I filed and was accepted on 1/29/2015. Have had no changes and I can’t get my transcripts. Any idea of when my status will change?

  23. Still the same bank says theres nothing waiting to be deposited Filed on the 19th approved on the 20th and still nothing havent called yet since its not been 21 days. But getting tired of waiting

  24. So I filed on 1-25 got accepted 1-26, approved 1-31 with a ddd of 2-4, but when 2-4 came around on the wmr that’s supposed to be filled in for sent, isn’t and when I call all it says is that its scheduled for a dd of 2-4, but when I checked back online I saw topic 203 now so I called and it said I had an offset for my full refund amount and that it was debit and applied to my debt. When I look on wmr it doesn’t say how much and it doesn’t show a balance of 0 so how can I tell if they took my full refund

      • Hello Lisa,
        Could you try to explain to me and a couple of other people why we were accepted on 1/20/15 and have gotten no where else, no refund and no ddd. Some of these people filed and accepted that same day and even after and already have there refund.

      • Hi Beth,
        The IRS expects to issue 9 out of 10 refunds that are e-filed within 21 days of acceptance. It’s not quite 21 days yet. If gets beyond 21 days you can call the IRS and check status on your tax refund.
        Thank you,
        Lisa Greene-Lewis

      • Hello I can’t check my status on where’s my refund and I called the irs they said they received my tax return on 22 what to do now I said didn’t recieve ddd

    • i read that they send your whole thing to the debit and if you own less then what they look took then you have to talk to who your in debit,theres a form you should file in that case so they wouldn’t take it all,for who your in debit to you have to call or go in,it wont state where online

  25. I filed with turbo Tax 1/20/15 & got A Email 15 mins later saying congratulations it was excepted but it’s now 15 days later I have not received my money & all it says is its being processed they will give me a Date when my refund is excepted why is it still saying this everyone has been getting there refunds in a week but everyday nothing changes on mine please someone tell me something.!!!

    • I filed the same day as you, and am in the same situation. There is nothing you can do about it either, once the 10th rolls around, you need to call the IRS, and ask for help. I called this morning, and this is what I was told. I wish you luck, and I do hope you receive yours soon

    • Same here. Filed and accepted on 1/20/15, had the bars for two days then they disappeared and now it says “your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available.” Idk what’s going on. I’ve never had a problem before. A friend of mine that works for turbotax did say that a lot of people that filed on 1/20 are getting the same message.

      • I found on 122 and have not got it update as of yet. it just says processing. I feel a little relief knowing that others are going through what I’m going through. I thought it was just me and that something was really wrong with my taxes. So I just see we all that alone together

    • Im in same situation, but I filed on 17th accepted 1pm on 20th and have had no progress since. Others have already received their refund or a dd date that was excepted after me.

  26. I filed my taxes on 01/20/15 both were acepted on the same day my bars went away for a week & half & came back on 01/30/15 with a refund date Of 02/04/15 so now the waiting game don’t be worried trust me it’s coming!

  27. I filed on 1/16/15 got accepted on1/21/15 my status is still at processing on the website. My sister and I filed same day, she has already got her money, confused at why mine hasn’t moved off processing

  28. HI I WANTED TO KNOW I DID MY TAXES ON LAST WEEK ON The 29 of JAN an it was accepted about 30 mins after but still no approval yet …how long do you think it will take

  29. I am in the same boat as well. I filed mines in the 1/8 received both a text msg and an email saying my return was accepted on 1/12, but yet IRS site still says processing. Still no DD. I heard the IRS accepted returns on the 12th for testing purposes.

  30. Hello I filed mines on Jan.30th & I recieved a text 30 min. later, stating the IRS has recieved my refund & funds should be loaded on my JH preferred card in approximately 21 days or before. But when I call the Jackson Hewitt line to check on my status it’s stating something totally different then the IRS line. Has anyone else had this problem?

  31. I filed with Turbo Tax on 1/20/2015 thinking that an e-file would allow me to have my money sooner. I feel duped. 2 weeks later I have nothing. The irs says wait 21 days, and Turbo Tax just blames the irs.

  32. I filed on the 22nd of January.. Got accepted on the 23rd. Why does it say my refund is still being processed and date will be provided when available? Ive member seen this before. I had one w2 and claimed one child.

    • l filled the same as always. Ni big changes .. I submitted my taxes the night of the 22nd and was accepted 30 minutes later. I have heard nothing yet I was wondering do they go by business days or is it just 21 days in general. My other question is do the IRS work on the weekends?

      • When I called to check up on things, the man told me to call back on the 10th, and I filed 1/20, and that would make it 21 days, so I can only assume from our convo that it is the full 21 days. I’m not entirely sure if actual people work on weekends, but I do know their automatic systems still process, etc. I’ve been seeing so many complaints, same like mine, yet when I called the man told me that it isn’t normal, and he hasn’t heard many complaints regarding this issue. I don’t know. It’s a waiting game from here. The IRS cannot access your files unless it has been 21 days, so calling before is a waste of time. Try to access your transcripts, if it let’s you, that means they have recently accepted you, if not, if it says like, “sorry there are no matches” that means it still being processed. Like I said, its totally a waiting game

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