The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a reminder for taxpayers about tax refunds due to be sent out to Americans in the coming weeks.
The IRS’ tax refund tracker tool, which can be accessed through the IRS website, has been updated in three ways this year to reduce the number of phone calls enquiring about the status of refunds received by the tax service.
In an update issued on February 28, the IRS outlined a series of enhancements to the Where’s My Refund? tracker. The much used tool provides taxpayers with three key pieces of information: confirmation of receiving a federal tax return, approval of the tax refund, and the refund date of any approved refunds from the IRS.
The changes to Where’s My Refund? outlined by the IRS are:
- Messages with detailed refund status in plain language.
- Seamless access on mobile devices and with the IRS2Go app.
- Notifications indicating whether the IRS needs additional information.
Newsweek has contacted the IRS for comment via email outside of normal working hours.
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How to Use Where’s My Refund? Tool
All who submit federal tax returns and are expecting a tax refund are eligible to use the tool: to login, you need either your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification number, filing status and the exact whole dollar amount of the refund expected for the year you are checking for.
You can check the status of your tax refund in as little as 24 hours after you have filed electronically for the year 2023, and around three to four days after e-filing for 2022 and 2021. For those who file their taxes by mail, it can take four weeks for the refund status to be shown.
The tool gives a personalized refund date for the taxpayer once any owed amounts have been confirmed. However, it does not show information relating to amended tax returns Form 1040-X.
The tool is updated once a day, usually overnight, according to the IRS.
How Long Do Tax Refunds Take?
According to an update issued by the IRS in December 2023, those who have filed their taxes correctly and electronically can expect a refund to be issued within 21 days. However, some issues can extend the processing time, including but not limited to errors in the filing or if it is incomplete and if your bank has referred you to the IRS for suspicious activity.
The IRS recommends using electronic filing and selecting direct deposit, either through your tax software or by informing your tax preparer, to ensure you get your refund as swiftly as possible.
Those who have filed for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which can provide refunds of up to $7,430 for eligible taxpayers, or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), can also expect news about their refund to take a little longer to come through. Those whose tax filings include a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, can take up to 14 weeks to process.
According to the IRS, most EITC and ACTC refunds are expected to be issued by February 27 for those who opted for direct deposit and have no outstanding issues with their tax return.
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