If you have filed your tax return weeks ago and are still waiting for your refund money, there could be various reasons for the delay. One common reason is choosing to receive a paper check instead of an electronic refund directly to your bank account. However, if it has been more than 21 days since you filed your tax return and you have not received your money, it is recommended to use the IRS refund tracker tool to check the status of your refund. The IRS has been sending tax refunds for months, but the process of receiving the money back is not instantaneous.
The fastest way to monitor your tax refund is by using the IRS’ Where’s My Refund? tracker page, which also informs you if your return has been rejected due to errors. To utilize the IRS tracker tools, you will need to provide your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your filing status, and your refund amount in whole dollars. You can access the Get Refund Status page on the IRS website, enter your personal data, and press submit. If you are not directed to a page displaying your refund status, you may need to verify your personal tax data and try again.
The IRS has a mobile app called IRS2Go that enables you to monitor your tax refund status. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices and is offered in both English and Spanish. By logging in with your Social Security number, filing status, and expected refund amount, you can see if your return has been received and approved, as well as if a refund has been sent. The IRS updates the app overnight, so if you do not see a status change, you can check back the following day.
When using the IRS tools to track your tax return status, you may encounter one of three messages: Received, Approved, or Sent. Additionally, you might see Tax Topic 152 or an IRS error message, which could indicate that your refund is being processed and has not yet been approved or sent. If you receive Tax Topic 151, it means your tax return is under review by the IRS, and you may need to wait up to four weeks to receive a notice explaining the status.
Getting live phone assistance from the IRS can be challenging, but the agency has increased its funding and hired thousands of new telephone representatives. You should only call if it has been at least 21 days since you filed your taxes online or if the Where’s My Refund tool instructs you to do so. If you receive your tax refund by direct deposit, you may see IRS TREAS 310 listed on your bank statement, which simply identifies the transaction as a refund from a filed tax return. If your refund is mailed instead of issued via direct deposit, there could be various reasons for this, such as providing incorrect account information or multiple refunds being deposited into the same account.
