It generally takes about four weeks for the IRS to receive and begin processing a paper tax return, and up to six to eight weeks (or more) for the entire refund process to be completed. For the most accurate, up-to-date status, use the IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool starting four weeks after mailing.
Check your federal tax return status online
Effective September 30, 2025, the IRS discontinued the issuance of paper checks for all tax-related refunds. All payments from the IRS will be made electronically via direct deposit, electronic funds transfer, prepaid debit cards, or other approved digital methods.
If the IRS rejects your return, you must correct any errors and resubmit your return as soon as possible. You may be able to e-file your updated return for small mistakes like a typo, or the IRS may instruct you to mail in a paper return for more serious errors like identity theft.
The IRS tax refund process
If you're filing electronically, the first step is for it to accept your return, which usually happens within 24-48 hours. During this time, the IRS confirms that the personal information included on your return matches the information in their records.
But what if you're filing a paper return? If you're filing a paper copy of your tax return, the IRS won't technically reject it because of missing or incorrect information. However, your return won't be considered as filed until it's corrected.
If you file more than 60 days after the due date, the minimum penalty is $525 (for tax returns required to be filed in 2026) or 100% of your unpaid tax, whichever is less.
If you never received your tax refund
To replace a lost or stolen tax refund check, you can request a refund trace in the IRS Where's My Refund tool. You will need to enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of your refund.
One of the problems is that the IRS has not had the technology to digitize a paper tax return or form. Instead, an IRS employee manually enters each digit from the form into the agency's system – a process that resulted in transcription errors on about 22% of paper returns in 2021.
After you submit your return
You should receive an email from customer_service@freefilefillableforms.com, indicating whether the IRS accepted or rejected your federal return. The email will be sent to the email address you used when you created your account.
The IRS maintains that filing returns electronically can prevent mistakes and lower the odds of an audit. The error rate for a paper return is 21%. The error rate for returns filed electronically is 0.5%.
Taxpayers can start checking on the status of their return within 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of an electronically filed return or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper return. The tool's tracker displays progress in three phases: Return received. Refund approved.
The transcript will help shed some light. If the transcript is blank, then the paper is stuck in the processing pipeline and not entered yet. Sorry, you'll be waiting a while. The IRS is normally 6 to 8 weeks on a paper file, and that's BEFORE layoffs and cuts.
File on: The fourth month after your fiscal year ends, day 15. If day 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the due date is delayed until the next business day. Your return is considered filed on time if your envelope is properly addressed, postmarked and deposited in the mail by the due date.
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Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool or the IRS2Go mobile app to check your refund online. This is the fastest and easiest way to track your refund. The systems are updated once every 24 hours. You can contact the IRS to check on the status of your refund.
Not reporting all of your income is an easy-to-avoid red flag that can lead to an audit. Taking excessive business tax deductions and mixing business and personal expenses can lead to an audit. The IRS mostly audits tax returns of those earning more than $200,000 and corporations with more than $10 million in assets.
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.
If the IRS still hasn't accepted your return or issued a refund, you may be wondering what's causing the slowdown. Common reasons for a tax refund delay include if: You claimed tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit and it is before mid-February.