How to Check Your IRS Tax Refund Status

If you expect a federal or state tax refund, you can track its status. Learn how, and what information you will need.

Check your federal tax refund status

Before checking on your refund, have your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund ready.

Use the IRS Where’s My Refund tool or the IRS2Go mobile app to check your refund online. This is the fastest and easiest way to track your refund. The systems are updated once every 24 hours.

Alternatively

To check the status of your tax refund with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you can follow these steps:

Visit the official IRS website at www.irs.gov.
Click on the “Refunds” tab, which is located toward the top of the webpage.
Select the “Where’s My Refund?” link. This will take you to the online refund tracking tool.
Click on the “Check My Refund Status” button to access the tool.
Provide the required information, including your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), your filing status, and the exact amount of your expected refund. This information must match your tax return exactly.
Click on the “Submit” button to submit your information.
The tool will display the current status of your refund, which may include messages indicating whether your refund has been received, approved, or sent for payment.

You can call the IRS to check on the status of your refund. Wait times to speak with a representative can be long. But you can avoid the wait by using the automated phone system. Follow the message prompts when you call.