The IRS website went down Wednesday, sending thousands of users into panic. DownDetector, a platform that reports online outages, showed at least 300 issues with the platform. A message said the site was down for maintenance.
Why can’t the IRS website be opened?
Some users posted questions on social media about the IRS website.
“The IRS website was ‘down for maintenance’ while my money was being deposited into my account, which makes me uncomfortable…” one user wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“They literally crashed the IRS website lol,” another person tweeted. The IRS has not updated how long the maintenance will last.
Where is my refund?
To track the status of your IRS refund, use the official “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. This is the fastest and most reliable method. Here’s how to do it:
access the tool
Go to: https://www.irs.gov/refunds or directly to https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refunds
Enter required information
Your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
Your filing status (single, married filing jointly, etc.)
The exact refund amount from your tax return (from line 34 of Form 1040 or equivalent)
what will you see
Status is updated every 24 hours (usually overnight).
Typical schedule:
Electronically filed current year returns → available approximately 24 hours after IRS acceptance
Previous year returns filed electronically → approximately 3–4 days after acceptance
Paper returns → approximately 4 weeks after submission
Three stages are shown: Return received → Refund approved → Refund sent
Personalized estimated refund date upon approval (usually 21 days for electronic documents, longer for paper documents).
Alternative method
IRS2Go Mobile App (Free on iOS/Android) – Same information as the website, plus payment and tax tipping features.
Automated Telephone Hotline – Dial 800-829-1954 (toll-free, automated 24/7). Have the same information ready.
IRS Online Account – Log in to irs.gov/account to view refund status, tax records, and more (identity verification required).
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