If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
When you receive confirmation that the IRS accepted your return, it means that they have reviewed your return, and it has passed their initial inspection. They verify your personal information and other basic items, like if your dependents have already been claimed by someone else.
No. Once your return is accepted by the IRS, it can't be rejected. If anything, they may send a letter or notice requesting additional support if needed.
Once that part's done, the government approves your refund, which means it's ready to be deposited or sent. It can take up to 21 calendar days after acceptance for the IRS to issue your refund, although most refunds go more quickly than that, while a small handful may take a bit longer.
To check the status of your federal tax return go to Where's My Refund? at IRS.gov. It will say 'approved' if it is approved. Or go to our e-file status lookup tool to get your current status (pending, accepted, or rejected).
First, they look for things like back taxes and unpaid child support. If they find any debts, they'll offset (reduce) your refund to cover the outstanding amount. Once they are satisfied that you have no outstanding debts, they will approve and then issue your refund.
After tax filing begins, e-filed returns generally sit in Pending status for 24-48 hours before being reported back as either Accepted or Rejected.
The IRS won't email, text you, or contact you via social media. It will generally mail you a notice if there is a problem with your return. An IRS agent may call you or visit your home, but usually only after sending several letters first.
Once accepted, it can take anywhere from a few days to 3 weeks (21 days) to go from acceptance to approval, and this timeframe is unrelated to how, where, or when you filed, nor is it connected to how quickly you got your refund last year.
Refund has been processed means that they have approved and are ready to send you your refund. Your return being processed mean that your tax return is being processed. Your status should change from being processed to accepted and then a date given for your refund. Keep checking each day for that.
Refund Approved means that the IRS has processed your return and your refund has been approved. The IRS will send your refund to your bank via direct deposit or directly to you in the mail if you requested a paper check. The fastest way to get your refund is by using direct deposit.
IRS Refund Schedule for Direct Deposits and Check Refunds
They now issue refunds every business day, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Due to changes in the IRS auditing system, they no longer release a full schedule as they did in previous years.
Once the tax return is processed, Where's My Refund" will tell a taxpayer when their refund is approved and provide a date when they can expect to receive it. "Where's My Refund" is updated no more than once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so taxpayers don't need to check the status more often.
Absolutely. WMR only updates once every 24 hours though. If you check it more than 5 times in a day, it actually kicks you out until the following day.
Most are closed on Sunday so it is rare to have any deposit on a Sunday. Once your refund is approved you will see a deposit date by visiting the Where's my refund website here, https://www.irs.gov/refunds .
The prompt means that the IRS has received your return, but due to Covid-19 delays, the IRS is experiencing a considerable backlog, slowing processing times and disbursements. Typically the IRS processes tax returns and issues refunds within 21 calendar days of receipt.
This means the IRS has your tax return and is processing it. Your personalized refund date will be available as soon as the IRS finishes processing your return and confirms that your refund has been approved. Most refunds are issued in less than 21 days.
Your tax return goes through three stages – "Accepted," "Refund Approved" and "Refund Sent." During the "Accepted" stage, the IRS is processing your return.
“Where's My Refund?” is updated no more than once every 24 hours, usually overnight, so there's no need to check the status more often. By law, the IRS cannot release tax refunds for Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit related tax returns before mid-February.
Overall, the IRS anticipates most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically if they choose direct deposit and there are no issues with their tax return. The IRS urges taxpayers and tax professionals to file electronically.
The tool is updated once a day, usually overnight, and gives taxpayers a projected refund issuance date as soon as it's approved. It's also one of the most popular online features available from IRS.
Normally they sent to your bank between 12am and 1am. That does not mean it will go directly into your bank account. You bank can take up to 5 days to deposit it but normally it only takes a few hours.
If you haven't received your tax refund after at least 21 days of filing online or six weeks of mailing your paper return, go to a local IRS office or call the federal agency (check out our list of IRS phone numbers that could get you help faster). But that won't fast-track your refund, according to the IRS.