When Will I Get My Tax Refund? How to Check Your IRS Status

Have you filed your taxes yet?

According to a recent survey by Intuit Credit Karma, 52% of U.S. adults expect a refund this year, and 54% of taxpayers plan to file early to expedite their refunds.

Here’s when your refund may arrive and how to check its status.

Where Is My Federal Tax Refund?

If you filed your federal taxes electronically and included your banking information, then you may expect a direct deposit within 21 days. If you did not include banking information, you may expect a paper check refund by mail within six to eight weeks.

Submitting your return is not the same as the IRS accepting your return. You can check whether it has been accepted by checking your tax return status online and looking for a “Refund Sent” alert. From that point, you won’t have to wait long for the funds to appear in your account.

Will I Get My Tax Refund Later Due to the Government Shutdown?

During a government shutdown, the IRS typically operates with significantly fewer employees, which can result in slower processing times for tax refunds.

Essential services, such as processing electronic returns, may be delayed, and returns may take longer to process, potentially affecting the financial planning of many households.

Other complications of a shutdown could include delays in processing paper-filed returns and disruptions in in-person and phone services.

How to Track Your Refund

The IRS has an online tool called “Where’s My Refund” that lets you check the status of your refund.

You can check the status of your refund within 24 hours of e-filing your return. The refund information is updated on the IRS website overnight.

Once the IRS approves your refund, it could be deposited into your bank account within days via direct deposit.

The online tool requires you to enter your Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount on the return. It will then respond with a return received (processing), refund approved (preparing to issue the refund by the date shown) or refund sent (sent to your bank or in the mail).

Another way to check the status is to call the IRS at 800-829-1954.

What Is the Tax Filing Deadline?

The deadline to file your taxes in 2026 is Wednesday, April 15.

To file for an extension on their federal income tax, taxpayers can fill out Form 4868 by April 15. Filing this form will give filers six more months to complete their tax return, until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Tax returns can still be filed after April 15 without filing for an extension, but you may be subject to a penalty if you owe taxes.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: When will I get my tax refund? How to check your IRS status.

Reporting by Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union

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