Still waiting on your tax refund from the IRS? Here's how to check your status

USA Today

6 days ago

Still waiting on your tax refund from the IRS? Here's how to check your status
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While the deadline to file your taxes has come and gone, there are still some Americans who have yet to receive their return.
The IRS has received and processed over 140 million returns and have refunded over 93.5 million individuals and households in 2025, which means approximately 47 million people have yet to receive their return.
According to the IRS, the average refund amount is $2,939 this year.
Taxpayers who file electronically and choose direct deposit typically receive their refunds less than 21 days after they file, but it might take longer for certain people to receive their refunds, especially if the agency finds an error or needs more time to review the documents.
"The IRS works hard to get refunds to taxpayers quickly, but taxpayers shouldn't rely on getting a refund by a certain date," according to the agency's website.
Here's how to check your refund status.
Why is your tax refund taking so long?
The reason for tax return delays is most often tied to errors found in the tax return, or returns that need more review, causing the process time to extend longer than the typical 21-day timeframe. The IRS issues the bulk of refunds in 21 days or less for those who file electronically or choose direct deposit.
The agency also contacts taxpayers by mail if it needs more information to process the return.
Other factors that cause delays include:
The return has errors, is incomplete or is affected by identity theft or fraud
The return needs a correction to the child tax credit or recovery rebate credit amount
The return has a claim filed for an earned income tax credit, additional child tax credit, or includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation
The time it takes a taxpayer's bank or credit union to post the refund to the taxpayer's account
How to check your tax refund status
Taxpayers can use the "Where's My Refund?" tool available on the IRS website to check the status of a refund.
The tool requires you to enter your Social Security number, filing status and the exact refund amount on the return. It will then respond with one of the following:
Return received (processing)
Refund approved (preparing to issue refund by date shown)
Refund sent (send to your bank or in the mail)
Taxpayers who file electronically should wait 24 hours before checking their refund status, according to the IRS. If you filed a paper return, you should wait four weeks before checking.
IRS reps can only check the status of a refund if it's been 21 days or more since the taxpayer filed the return electronically, it's been six weeks or more since the taxpayer mailed the return, or if the "Where's My Refund?" tool tells the taxpayer to contact the IRS.
Contributing: Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK