Overview
- By law, refunds tied to the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit are held until mid‑February, with March 2 the earliest date if direct deposit is selected and no issues are found.
- Refund status is best tracked via the Where’s My Refund tool on IRS.gov or the IRS2Go app, which shows Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent and refreshes overnight with a brief 4–5 a.m. ET downtime.
- You can start checking 24 hours after an e‑file is acknowledged, three to four days after e‑filing a prior‑year return, and about four weeks after mailing a paper return.
- To access status, enter your SSN or ITIN, filing status, and the exact whole‑dollar refund amount; an IRS Online Account also shows stimulus/Recovery Rebate Credit history and payment details as the agency phases out paper checks.
- Most e‑filed refunds arrive in about 21 days, but errors, identity‑theft or fraud reviews, credit verifications, bank processing times, or IRS requests for more information can extend timelines, and calling generally won’t accelerate a refund.