How to Check Your Tax Filing Status With the IRS

To check your tax filing status with the IRS, use the free Where’s My Refund tool at irs.gov/refunds, the IRS2Go mobile app, or the automated refund hotline at 800-829-1954. All three pull from the same database. Status information appears about 24 hours after the IRS receives an e-filed current-year return, three days after a prior-year e-filed return, and four weeks after a mailed paper return.¹

What You Need Before You Check

Every IRS tracking tool asks for the same three pieces of information, pulled directly from the return you filed. If any one of them is wrong, the system returns nothing, even if the other two match.

Your Social Security number or ITIN. On a joint return, use whichever number appears first on the filing.²
Your exact filing status: Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, or Qualifying Surviving Spouse. A mismatch here is one of the most common reasons the tracker comes back empty.
The exact whole-dollar refund amount from line 35a of Form 1040. Rounded or estimated figures will not work.³

If you no longer have your return, you can pull the numbers from a tax return transcript through your IRS online account, by mail, or by calling the automated transcript line at 800-908-9946.⁴

Reading the Where’s My Refund Tracker

The tool moves your return through three stages. Return Received means the IRS has the filing and is running initial checks. Refund Approved means the checks cleared and the amount is set. Refund Sent means Treasury has initiated the direct deposit or mailed a paper check.¹

The IRS issues most refunds on e-filed returns in fewer than 21 days when you choose direct deposit.⁵ Direct deposits usually land within a few days of approval; a mailed check adds a couple of weeks. Paper-filed returns take six weeks or more to process from the date the IRS receives them.¹

When You Can Call the IRS About It

Phone representatives can only look into a refund once it has been at least 21 days since you e-filed or six weeks since you mailed a paper return. Before those windows, agents cannot access status information any earlier than the online tool.⁶

Getting More Detail Through an IRS Online Account

An IRS online account at irs.gov shows more than the basic tracker: refund status, payment history, and full tax transcripts for each filing year. Setup runs through ID.me and requires uploading a photo of a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license or passport.⁷

Transcript Codes Worth Knowing

Your account transcript uses numbered transaction codes to record every action the IRS takes on your return. Code 846 is the one you want: it means a refund has been authorized, and the date beside it is when the deposit or check was scheduled.

Two others show up often and cause confusion. Code 570 means the IRS placed a hold on your account, usually to verify income or confirm identity. Code 971 means the agency generated a notice or letter, often tied to whatever triggered the 570. Neither means the return was rejected or audited. The refund will not move forward until the hold clears, which can take several weeks depending on the issue.

If Your E-Filed Return Was Rejected

A rejection is not the same as a filing that is being processed slowly. The IRS sends a notice explaining the specific problem, which is often a mistyped Social Security number, a misspelled name, or a missing form. For straightforward data errors, correct the return in your tax software and resubmit electronically.⁸

Some rejections cannot be fixed electronically, such as when someone else already filed using your SSN. You will need to file a paper return, and to preserve your original filing date the paper return must be postmarked by the later of the normal deadline (including extensions) or 10 calendar days after the rejection notice.⁸

Why Your Status May Look Stuck

You Claimed the EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit

Refunds that include the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit are subject to a legally required hold regardless of when you file. The PATH Act prohibits the IRS from issuing these refunds before mid-February.⁹ For early filers who chose direct deposit and have no other issues, the IRS expects most of these refunds to arrive by early March, with the tracker updating in late February.¹⁰

Your Refund Was Approved but Reduced

If the tracker says your refund was approved but the deposit is smaller than expected, part of the money was likely intercepted through the Treasury Offset Program. Federal law authorizes the IRS to reduce refunds to cover past-due child support, defaulted federal debts such as student loans, past-due state taxes, and certain other state debts.¹¹¹² You should receive a notice naming the agency that received the money. To dispute an offset, contact the listed agency, or call the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107. If the debt belongs solely to your spouse on a joint return, file Form 8379 (Injured Spouse Allocation) to claim your share.¹³

Someone Else Filed Using Your SSN

If your return was rejected because a filing already exists under your number, that is tax-related identity theft. File Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) online, or send the paper version, and attach it to a paper copy of your return if you could not e-file. The IRS will investigate, though resolution can take several months.¹⁴

To protect future returns, request an Identity Protection PIN at irs.gov/ippin. This six-digit number is assigned annually and must be entered when you file; any return submitted without it is rejected automatically. The program is open to any taxpayer, not only identity theft victims, but once you enroll you cannot opt out.¹⁴

Checking on an Amended Return

Where’s My Refund does not cover amended returns. Use the separate Where’s My Amended Return tool at irs.gov, which becomes available about three weeks after you submit Form 1040-X. Processing generally runs 8 to 12 weeks and can stretch to 16.¹⁵ The tracker shows three stages of its own: Received, Adjusted, and Completed.¹⁶ The dedicated phone line for amended returns is 866-464-2050.¹

A Note on State Refunds

The IRS tools cover federal returns only. State income tax refunds are tracked through your state’s Department of Revenue, Department of Taxation, or Franchise Tax Board, and those portals are separate from the federal system. Most ask for the same three inputs — SSN, filing status, refund amount — but timelines vary widely, and many states run enhanced fraud screening that can delay refunds beyond the normal window. Some states also convert direct deposit refunds to paper checks as an anti-fraud measure, which adds mailing time.

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Internal Revenue Service. Refunds
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Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number Requirement
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Internal Revenue Service. Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
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Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Services for Individuals – FAQs
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Internal Revenue Service. IRS Opens 2026 Filing Season
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Internal Revenue Service. Why It May Take Longer Than 21 Days for Some Taxpayers to Receive Their Federal Refund
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Internal Revenue Service. New Identity Verification Process to Access Certain IRS Online Tools and Services
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Internal Revenue Service. Age, Name or SSN Rejects, Errors, Correction Procedures
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Internal Revenue Service. Filing Season Statistics for Week Ending Feb. 6
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Internal Revenue Service. When to Expect Your Refund if You Claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6402 – Authority to Make Credits or Refunds
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Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Treasury Offset Program Frequently Asked Questions for Debtors in the Treasury Offset Program
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Taxpayer Advocate Service. Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) Offsets for Non-Tax Debts
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Internal Revenue Service. When to File an Identity Theft Affidavit
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Internal Revenue Service. Where’s My Amended Return
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Internal Revenue Service. Amended Returns and Form 1040X 3