E-Paper
Where is my IRS refund? How to use the IRS tool to check your refund status
As the 2026 U.S. tax season begins, taxpayers can check their refund status using the IRS tool “Where's My Refund?” Here's how you can use the tool.
It is officially the season of asking, “Where is my IRS refund?” with the 2026 U.S. tax filing season underway. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), most refunds for electronically filed returns with direct deposit are typically issued within about 21 days of acceptance.
Read more: Did the IRS announce a ‘new tax benefit’ for 2026? Here's what to know
How to check your IRS refund status?
The IRS provides a dedicated tool called “Where's My Refund?” on IRS.gov. On the tool, data is updated overnight once a day. These updates are usually made between 4 and 5 a.m. Eastern time. The tool “Where's My Refund” is inaccessible at those times every morning.
Here's how the tool works:
- You can see updates once a day after the IRS accepts your tax return.
- For e-filed returns in the current year, information typically appears within 24 hours after being received.
- For prior-year e-filed returns, updates usually show within three or four days.
- If you mailed a paper return, the system may take 4 weeks or more to start showing refund status.
You will need 3 things to check the refund status on “Where's my Refund”:
- Your Social Security number or the ITIN
- Your filing status
- The exact refund amount you claimed on your return
Once you have entered your details on the tool, you will either see “Return Received”, “Refund Approved”, or "Refund Sent" based on the status of your filing.
Read more: IRS announces $6,000 tax deduction for seniors: Who qualifies and how to claim
Your refund may be larger, and here is the reason
New provisions in the recently implemented The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) have expanded the deductions this tax season. Provisions for tips, overtime pay, car loan interest and senior deductions will potentially boost average refund amounts for many filers this year.
Through the 2028 tax year, Americans 65 and older who pay taxes on Social Security income are eligible for a new federal deduction of $6,000. Similarly, eligible workers can deduct qualified overtime pay and eliminate federal income taxes on tips to an extent.
To claim these benefits, taxpayers will have to use the new Schedule 1-A form when filing their 2025 returns.
