What’s the best way to track the status of your federal tax return?

Posted on April 12, 2024

The CPAs at Teipen CPA Group highly recommend using Where’s My Refund tool through IRS.gov/refunds.

Here’s why:

• Very easy to use and understand.
• Information is updated every 24 hours.
• Refund status is available within 24 hours after you e-file your 2023 return.
• If the IRS needs additional information, you’ll get notified.
• You get a verified refund date right after the IRS processes and approves your refund.

How to get started with Where’s My Refund?
To use this IRS tool on IRS.gov website, you will need your:

• Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification number.
• Filing status.
• Exact amount of the refund you claimed on your tax return.

The tool shows three statuses:

• Return received.
• Refund approved.
• Refund sent.

You don’t need to check your refund status more than once a day. Calling the IRS won’t speed up your tax refund, as information available on Where’s
How long does a refund usually take?
The IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days. Some tax returns require more time to review, and this can delay a refund. It takes longer to process a return if:

• Your tax return has errors, requires additional review or is incomplete.
• Your return needs a correction to the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit.
• You filed your tax return on paper.
• Remember to allow time for your bank or credit union to post the refund to your account or for it to arrive in the mail.

What if your refund is less than expected?
If your refund isn’t what you expected, it may be due to changes made by the IRS.

These changes could include corrections to Child Tax Credit or EITC amounts or an offset from all or part of the refund amount to pay past-due tax or debts. More information about reduced refunds is available on IRS.gov.