Once Transaction Code 846 posts to your IRS account transcript, a direct deposit refund usually lands in your account within one to five business days of the date shown next to the code, and a paper check generally arrives one to four weeks after that date. The code means the IRS has certified your refund and handed the payment to Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service for delivery, so the remaining wait comes down to how the money travels and how your bank or the Postal Service handles it.
What the Date Next to Code 846 Actually Marks
Code 846 reads “Generated Refund” on your transcript. It signals that the IRS finished its review, calculated the amount you’re owed, and released the payment to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.1Internal Revenue Service. IRM 3.17.20 Refund Intercept Program The dollar figure beside the code is the certified refund. The date beside it is the day the IRS authorized the payment to go out, not the day it hits your account or mailbox.
That distinction matters because everything after that date is out of the IRS’s hands. Direct deposits move through the ACH network and land at your bank on the bank’s schedule. Paper checks travel through the mail. Either way, the 846 date is the starting line, not the finish.
Direct Deposit: One to Five Business Days
For direct deposit, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service sends an electronic payment file through the Automated Clearing House network, which routes the funds to your bank or credit union. Most direct deposits arrive within one to five business days of the 846 date, and the IRS notes that direct deposit is the fastest way to receive a refund.2Internal Revenue Service. Why It May Take Longer Than 21 Days for Some Taxpayers to Receive Their Federal Refund
Your bank may see notice of the incoming deposit a day or two before the money officially settles. Some institutions release the funds as soon as they receive the ACH notification; others hold the deposit 24 to 48 hours under their own policies.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Long Can a Bank or Credit Union Hold Funds I Deposited? A payment landing after your bank’s afternoon cut-off may not post until the next business day. Weekends and federal holidays don’t count as business days, so an 846 date on a Friday before a holiday can push the deposit into the following week.
If you split your refund across two or three accounts using Form 8888, the IRS sends a separate deposit for each portion, and each has to be at least one dollar.4Internal Revenue Service. Form 8888 (Rev. December 2025) Splitting doesn’t slow the refund by itself, but a wrong account number on any line can send the whole refund to the last valid account listed, adding days.
If Your Bank Rejects the Deposit
When account or routing information is wrong and your bank rejects the deposit, the funds bounce back to the IRS, which then mails a paper check to the address on file. That reversal can add several weeks. If two weeks pass after the rejection with no result, you can file Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund, to open a trace. Banks have up to 90 days from the trace date to respond, and full resolution can run up to 120 days.5Internal Revenue Service. Refund Inquiries
Paper Check: One to Four Weeks
For a paper check, the 846 date marks when Treasury issued the check for mailing through the Postal Service. Most checks arrive within one to four weeks after that date. Actual delivery depends on the distance between the distribution center and your address, current postal volume, and staffing at local sorting facilities.
Federal holidays and weekends don’t count as delivery days, so a check issued right before a long holiday weekend can take several extra days to reach you. Address problems are the other common source of delay. Not every post office forwards government checks, so if you’ve moved recently, the check may not follow you.6Internal Revenue Service. Address Changes
Fixing an Address After 846 Posts
If you spot an old address on file after Code 846 has already appeared, you can file Form 8822, Change of Address, mail a signed letter with your full name, Social Security number, and both old and new addresses to the IRS office where you filed your last return, or call the IRS and verify your identity by phone.6Internal Revenue Service. Address Changes Address updates generally take four to six weeks to process, so if the check has already been mailed, requesting a refund trace is often the faster path.
When the Deposit Is Smaller Than the 846 Amount
Sometimes the money that arrives is less than what Code 846 shows, or nothing arrives at all despite the code being there. The most common reason is a Treasury Offset Program reduction. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service matches taxpayers who owe certain debts against outgoing federal payments and withholds part or all of a refund to cover the debt.7Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Treasury Offset Program
On the transcript, an offset appears as Transaction Code 898. Subtract the TC 898 amount from the TC 846 amount to see what you should actually receive.8Internal Revenue Service. IRM 21.4.6 Refund Offset Research, Reversals, and Injured Spouse Processing Debts that trigger an offset include past-due child or spousal support, defaulted federal student loans, state income tax debts, state unemployment overpayments, and other federal non-tax debts.
You’ll get a separate notice from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, not the IRS, identifying the debt and the amount withheld. On a joint return where only one spouse owes the debt, the other spouse can file Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, to recover their share.
If the Refund Never Shows Up
If Code 846 has posted but the money never arrives, you can request a refund trace. Wait at least five days past the 846 date for a direct deposit, and at least six weeks past the mailing date for a paper check.9Taxpayer Advocate Service. Lost or Stolen Refund
Traces can be started through the Where’s My Refund? tool, by calling the automated refund line at 800-829-1954, by calling 800-829-1040 to reach a representative, or by mailing Form 3911. Joint filers can’t use the automated line and need to call a representative or send the form.10Internal Revenue Service. Refund Inquiries
Once a trace is open, one of two outcomes follows. If the check was never cashed, the IRS cancels it and reissues the refund. If it was cashed, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service sends you a claim package with a copy of the cashed check, and that review can take up to six weeks.10Internal Revenue Service. Refund Inquiries