2026 U.S. Tax Refunds: How to Check IRS Refund Status? Steps to monitor progress

You can track your IRS refund status by

The “Where’s My Refund?” tool to check the status of your refund is available 24 hours a day on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go app. You can check the status of your refund 24 hours after the IRS confirms receipt of your electronic return, 3-4 days after you electronically filed your previous year’s return, and four weeks after you mailed your paper return.

What information is needed to check status?

To use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, taxpayers need to provide:

• social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
• Filing status (e.g., single, married filing jointly)
• The exact total amount of the expected refund

What are the stages of refund status?

The tracker shows refund progress in three stages:

• Tax Return Received – The IRS has received and is processing the tax return.
• Refund Approved – The IRS has approved the refund and payment is now being prepared.
• Refund Sent – ​​The refund has been sent to the taxpayer’s bank or mailed as a check.

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