Taxpayers who filed an extension and are submitting their 2018 tax return this summer might be waiting for their tax refund. It’s easy for these taxpayers to check on the status of their money. They can just zip over to IRS.gov and use “Where’s My Refund?”
This tool is available on IRS.gov and through the IRS2Go app. Taxpayers can use Where’s My Refund? to start checking the status of their tax return within 24 hours after the IRS receives an e-filed return. For a paper return, it’s four weeks after the taxpayer mailed it.
The tool has a tracker that displays the progress of a tax return through these three stages:
- Return received
- Refund approved
- Refund sent
All a taxpayer needs to use “Where’s My Refund?” are these three things:
- Their Social Security number
- Their tax filing status
- The exact amount of the refund claimed on their tax return
Taxpayers should remember “Where’s My Refund” is only available on the IRS website or through the IRS2Go app.
“Where’s My Refund?” updates once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so there’s no need to check the status more often.
Taxpayers should only call the IRS tax help hotline on the status of their tax refund if:
- It has been 21 days or more since the tax return was e-filed
- It has been six weeks or more since the return was mailed
- When “Where’s My Refund?” tells the taxpayer to contact the IRS
Taxpayers who owe should pay as much as possible to minimize interest and penalty charges. These taxpayers can visit IRS.gov/payments to explore their payment options.
Taxpayers should also watch out for email or text scams asking for personal information in order to check the status of an IRS refund. This IRS does not contact taxpayers in this way. Share this tip on social media