During this busy time of tax filing season, millions of taxpayers are waiting for refunds. In the second of the weekly series of Tax Season Guides, the IRS highlights important details about Where's My Refund? that can help taxpayers quickly get the information they need without calling the IRS.

Improvements to the tool are due to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides a variety of technological advancements and IRS upgrades designed to help taxpayers and transform the agency's operations.

¿Upgrade to Where's my refund?

For the 2024 filing season, taxpayers will benefit from important updates that will reduce the need for many taxpayers to call the IRS including:

• Messages with detailed refund status in simplified language.
• Seamless access on mobile devices and in the app IRS2Go.
• Notices that indicate if the IRS needs additional information.

How to use Where is my refund?

To use Where is my refund? Taxpayers must enter their Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, tax filing status, and the exact dollar amount of their expected refund from the original tax return for the year you are reviewing.

Once the IRS confirms receipt of your return, your refund status information will be available within:

• 24 hours after receiving a tax return electronically for tax year 2023.
• Three to four days after receiving a tax return electronically for tax years 2022 or 2021.
• Four weeks after mailing a paper tax return.

Taxpayers should note that the IRS updates the tool once a day, usually overnight, so you don't have to check as frequently. The IRS reminds taxpayers that the fastest way to receive a refund is to file electronically and choose direct deposit.

Refund Delivery

There are several factors that can affect the timing of a refund:

• If there are errors on the tax return, additional review is required, or it is incomplete.
• The return needs a correction to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit.
• The time between the IRS issuing the refund and the bank showing it in an account may vary as processing times fluctuate.

The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if more information is needed to process a refund. IRS representatives by phone and in person can only check the status of a refund if:

• It has been 21 days or more since you filed your tax return electronically.
• It has been six weeks or more since the return was mailed.
• Where is my refund? directs the taxpayer to contact the IRS.

If the taxpayer's refund was not the expected amount, it may be due to changes made by the IRS. These changes may include corrections to the Child Tax Credit or EITC amounts, or the full or partial amount of the refund being offset to pay owed taxes or other debts.

Additional information about the reduction of a refund it is available on IRS.gov.