When Will I Get My Tax Refund

Check the Status of Your IRS Refund

If you ever want to check your IRS refund status, you have several options available to you. Thanks to technology, taxpayers can now go online to check the status of their federal tax refund. Of course, you can still choose to go the traditional route and check the status of your refund by phone.

Depending on how you file your federal income tax return — electronically or by paper mail — you will need to wait a certain amount of time for the IRS to process your return before you can expect to receive your federal tax refund.

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The IRS offers a standard response to taxpayers who inquire about when they should expect to get their tax refund: “The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it’s possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.” This means that you will probably receive your federal refund within 3 weeks of filing your tax return – as long as your return doesn’t raise any flags that would cause the IRS to take extra time to review it.

The IRS says that most refunds will be issued in less than 21 days. Keep in mind, this is not a guarantee by the IRS that you will get your refund within that time frame, and it also assumes there are no mistakes or delays with your return.

If you file a paper tax return, the IRS will likely be able to issue your tax refund within 6 to 8 weeks after receiving your return. If you file your tax return electronically (also known as “e-file”), it will be processed faster in the IRS system, which means you can expect to receive your tax refund faster as well — usually within 3 weeks.

RELATED: Mistakes to Avoid When You E-File Taxes

There are 3 main methods you can use to check the status of your federal tax refund:

1. Internet – Use the IRS “Where’s My Refund” online tracker tool
2. Telephone – Call the IRS helpline
3. Mobile App – Download “IRS2GO” on your smartphone

1. Check the Status of Your Federal Tax Refund Online

Gone are the days when taxpayers had to estimate the date for receiving their federal tax refunds using the IRS Refund Cycle Chart. Advancements in technology have allowed the IRS to offer taxpayers the use of the “Where’s My Refund?” online tracker tool.

The Where’s My Refund? tool tracks the status of your tax refund, providing simple alerts based on 3 basic stages of the tax return and refund process:

• Tax Return Received
• Tax Refund Approved
• Tax Refund Sent

If you filed a paper tax return, the “Where’s My Refund?” tool will declare your status as “Return Received” within 4 weeks after you’ve mailed your paper return. The online tool is much faster if you filed your return electronically, allowing taxpayers to check on the status of their federal refunds within 24 hours of e-filing.

RELATED: E-File Taxes Online for Free

In order to use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, you should be ready to enter your personal information — including your Social Security Number (SSN), filing status, and tax refund amount (in exact whole dollars).

2. Check the Status of Your Federal Tax Refund By Telephone

Another option for checking the status of your refund is to call the IRS Refund Hotline at:

• 1-800-829-1954

Make sure you are prepared to provide your Social Security Number (SSN), filing status, and tax refund amount (in exact whole dollars).

Note that the IRS says you should only call if it has been 21 days or more since you e-filed your tax return, or 6 weeks or more since you mailed your paper return. There is also an IRS phone number for general individual taxpayer assistance, 800-829-1040, if you need additional assistance.

3. Check the Status of Your Federal Tax Refund via Mobile App

If you have a smartphone, you can download the free “IRS2GO” mobile app. This app program allows you to communicate with the IRS and check the status of your tax refund using your mobile device. Note that you will need to enter your Social Security Number (SSN), filing status, and tax refund amount (in exact whole dollars) to access your information.

Apple customers can download “IRS2GO” from the Apple App Store. Android customers can download “IRS2GO” on the Android Marketplace.

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