Don't Mess With Taxes

   
We’re through a full month of the 2025 tax filing season. Many of the taxpayers who filed when the season started at the end of January have already received their refunds.

The official count, last updated by the Internal Revenue Service on Feb. 14, shows nearly 13.7 million refunds have been issued. The average refund check so far is $2,169.

You, however, are still waiting for the IRS to send you your money.

The best way to find where it is in the IRS system is to use the agency’s online tracking tool Where’s My Refund?

Here are some questions and answers that can help.

When can you expect your tax refund? The IRS says that if you electronically filed your Form 1040 and told the agency to directly deposit your refund, the money should show up in your account w/in 21 days. Some people report getting their money even sooner.

If you filed a paper return, however, and are waiting on a paper U.S. Treasury check, be patient. Your entries have to be entered into the IRS computer system by an employee, which takes time even in the smoothest of tax seasons. And 2025 is not one of the smoothest.

The IRS, like other federal agencies, is being disrupted by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) actions, including the firing of 6,700 employees.

Where can I find Where’s My Refund? The search tool is available via your computer on IRS.gov at its own special page. If you prefer a mobile device, you can search using the tax agency’s IRS2Go app.

If you encounter an issue with one query option, try the other. When I ran a test check, the main IRS.gov page gave me an error message, but the app came up with the refund’s whereabouts.

When can you get your return’s status? Once you have filed, the IRS says to wait 24 hours to check Where’s My Refund? That wait, of course, applies to e-filings, where you get an acknowledgement that the IRS has accepted your return.

If you mailed your forms and used a return receipt so you’d know when it got to the IRS processing center, you’ll be tempted to check when you get that green U.S. Postal Service postcard back. But the IRS recommends that you wait up to four-weeks after you mailed it to check your paper filing’s refund status.

What do I need to check my refund’s status? Okay, enough filing time has passed and you’re still waiting, so it’s time to head to Where’s My Refund. But before you click the search tool button, make sure you have the three pieces of information the IRS needs to track your money. They are  —

1. Your Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (TIN) you entered on the return. If you’re married and filed jointly, you can use either spouse’s tax identification number.
2. The filing status you used on your federal income tax return. There are five options: single; married, filing a joint return; married, filing a separate return; head of household; or qualifying widow/widower, also sometimes referred to as surviving spouse.
3. The exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your return. That’s the amount shown on Form 1040 line 35a.

You’ll also have to tell Where’s My Refund? where — or more precisely, when — to look. The search tool gives you the option to check on refunds from the last three tax years. Most users will check the first option, 2024 (Latest Tax Year).

Once you provide all that info, click submit and wait for, fingers-crossed, the good news.

What will the search tool show me? I know, you just want the date to expect your money. Where’s My Refund will tell you that eventually. But it’s a process. In most cases, your search will give you one of three refund statuses.

As the screenshot below shows, they are self-explanatory: Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent.

I’m happy to report that the IRS met the Feb. 20 delivery date provided in the above message.

However, if you're not happy with or confused by the answer you get, you can click on the question mark icons after each status for more explanation.

How often can you check the refund tracker? The IRS knows you’re impatient, but continued checking of Where’s My Refund? isn’t going to speed up the process. Information on refund status is updated once a day, overnight. So call just once a day.

More FAQs: The Where’s My Refund tool should resolve most taxpayers’ questions. However, if you have special filing circumstances that created other questions, check out the IRS’ refund inquiries page.

The Bureau of Fiscal Service also has a Frequently Asked Questions web page that provides a bit more about the process of receiving their tax refunds and best practices to follow.

And if you don't have internet access, you can call the IRS’ automated toll-free refund hotline at (800) 829-1954 for information on a current-year refund, or (866) 464-2050 for a refund from an amended tax return.

You also might find these items of interest:

• 6 things that could delay your tax refund
• When will you get your federal tax refund? It depends
• These tax refund myths won't get you your money sooner

Advertisements

🌟 Search Amazon Tax Products 🌟
The text link above is an affiliate ad. If you click through and then buy a product, I receive a commission.