What to Expect for Refunds This Year
At the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), we strive to issue refunds to taxpayers as quickly as possible. In fact, more than 9 out of 10 refunds are processed in less than 21 days. However, there are instances where your tax return may require additional review, which could result in a longer processing time.
If Your Refund Isn't What You Expected
If the amount of your refund is not what you expected, it may be due to changes we made to your tax return. These changes could include:
- Corrections to errors
- Payments applied to past-due taxes or debts, offsetting all or part of your refund
For more detailed information, please refer to our Tax Season Refunds Frequently Asked Questions.
Where's My Refund?
To stay updated on the status of your refund, you can use our online tool called "Where's My Refund?" This tool is updated once a day, overnight, so there's no need to check more frequently.
You can use "Where's My Refund?" to check the status of your return:
- 24 hours after e-filing a tax year 2023 return
- 3 or 4 days after e-filing a tax year 2022 or 2021 return
- 4 weeks or more after mailing a return
The "Where's My Refund?" tool provides a tracker that displays progress through three stages:
- Return Received
- Refund Approved
- Refund Sent
Once the IRS processes your tax return and approves your refund, the tool will provide you with an actual refund date.
Please only contact us about your refund status if "Where's My Refund?" recommends you to do so.
Direct Deposit
To receive your refund faster, we encourage you to choose e-file and direct deposit as your refund method. Direct deposit has always been the easiest, safest, and fastest way to receive your refund. You can select direct deposit as your refund method through your tax software or inform your tax preparer about your preference. Even if you are filing by paper, you can still use direct deposit. Just make sure to double-check your account number and routing number to avoid errors.
You can find your routing and account numbers on the bottom of your checks, through your online banking application, or by contacting your financial institution directly. Please do not enter the number on your bank card.
If you have a prepaid debit card, it may be possible to have your refund applied to the card. Many reloadable prepaid cards have account and routing numbers that you can provide to the IRS. However, you should check with your financial institution to ensure that your card can be used and to obtain the correct routing number and account number, which may be different from the card number.
Please note that your refund can only be directly deposited into U.S. bank or U.S. bank-affiliated accounts that are in your name, your spouse's name, or both if it's a joint account. Additionally, no more than three electronic refunds can be deposited into a single financial account or prepaid debit card. Taxpayers who exceed this limit will receive an IRS notice and a paper refund.
Direct deposit ensures that your refund is accessible faster than a paper check. Refunds that are directly deposited are not delayed by disaster or other weather-related events that may affect mail delivery.
Form 1042-S, Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding
If you requested a refund of tax withheld on a Form 1042-S by filing a Form 1040NR, please note that we will need additional time to process your return. Please allow up to 6 months from the original due date of the 1040NR return or the date you actually filed the 1040NR, whichever is later, to receive any refund due.
If you have any further questions or concerns about your refund, please refer to our Refund Related page for more information.