Tax Time Guide: IRS Reminds Taxpayers About “Where’s My Refund?”

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that they can quickly check the status of their tax return and refund through “Where’s My Refund?”

This is the fifth in a series of 10 daily IRS tips called the Tax Time Guide. These tips are designed to help taxpayers navigate common tax issues as the April 15 deadline approaches.

Taxpayers who have not yet received their refunds can use “Where’s My Refund?” on IRS.gov or on the smartphone application IRS2Go 5.0 to find out about the status of their income tax refunds.

Initial information will normally be available within 24 hours after the IRS receives the taxpayer’s e-filed return or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper return to the IRS. The system updates only once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so there’s no need to check more often.

"Where's My Refund? is the quickest and easiest way for taxpayers to get important information about their tax refund," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "Taxpayers need to remember that the Where’s My Refund system is updated every 24 hours, usually overnight, so there's no need to check more than once a day."

So far this year, “Where’s My Refund?” has received more than 179 million hits on IRS.gov.

Taxpayers should have their Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount when accessing Where’s My Refund?

Other tips in the Tax Time Guide series are available on IRS.gov.