Wheres My Tax Refund?

About Where’s My Refund?

You can start checking on the status of your refund within

24 hours after e-filing a tax year 202 return

3 or 4 days after e-filing a tax year 2022 or 2023 return
4 weeks after mailing a return

Where’s My Refund? will give you a personalized refund date after we process your return and approve your refund.

The tracker displays progress through three stages:

• Return Received
• Refund Approved
• Refund Sent

To use Where’s My Refund? you need to provide your Social Security number or individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN), filing status, and exact whole dollar amount of your expected refund.

Prior year refund information

Where’s My Refund? will display the refund status of the tax year you choose. If you need other return information, view your Online Account.

What if my refund was lost, stolen or destroyed?

Generally, you can file an online claim for a replacement check if it’s been more than 28 days from the date we mailed your refund. Where’s My Refund? will give you detailed information about filing a claim if this situation applies to you.

For more information, check Refunds.

What information is not available?

Amended tax returns

Refund information for Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return is not available on Where’s My Refund? Use Where’s My Amended Return? to get the status of your amended return.

Business tax return information

For refund information on federal tax returns other than Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, call, toll-free, at 800-829-4933. From outside the U.S., call 267-941-1000. TTY/TDD: 800-829-4059. 

Refundable tax credits

A refundable tax credit is a credit you can get as a refund even if you don’t owe any tax.

Tax credits are amounts you subtract from your bottom-line tax due when you file your tax return. Most tax credits can reduce your tax only until it reaches $0. Refundable credits go beyond that to give you any remaining credit as a refund.

That’s why it’s best to file taxes even if you don’t have to. Many people who qualify for refundable credits miss out on refunds because they don’t file.

See if you qualify for these refundable tax credits.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) 

To qualify, you must have under $11,000 in investment income and earn less than a specific income level from working. The income level ranges from: $17,640 if you’re single with no children to $63,398 if you’re married filing jointly with 3 or more children. Find more on the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Answer questions to see if you qualify for the EITC

Child Tax Credit (partially refundable)

If you have a child, you may be eligible for the Child Tax Credit. For 2024, the credit is up to $2,000 per qualifying child. To qualify, a child must:

• Have a Social Security number
• Be under age 17 at the end of 2024
• Be claimed as a dependent on your tax return

A portion of the Child Tax Credit is refundable for 2024. This portion is called the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). For 2024, up to $1,700 per child may be refundable.

Find out more about the Child Tax Credit

American Opportunity Tax Credit (partially refundable)

If you paid qualified education expenses for an eligible college student, you may be able to claim a credit of up to $2,500 per year. Up to $1,000 of the American Opportunity Tax Credit is refundable.

Your income must be $90,000 or less ($180,000 or less for married filing jointly) to claim the credit.

Find details on the American Opportunity Tax Credit

Premium Tax Credit

If you buy health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace and meet other criteria, you may be able to claim the Premium Tax Credit. This is a refundable credit based on your income and the cost of your healthcare plan.

Fuel Tax Credit

If you purchase fuel used for off-highway business and farming purposes, you may be able to claim the Fuel Tax Credit (FTC). This is a refundable tax credit available for eligible types of use.

Time you can claim a credit or refund

The latest date, by law, you can claim a credit or federal income tax refund for a specific tax year is generally the later of these 2 dates:

• 3 years from the date you filed your federal income tax return, or
• 2 years from the date you paid the tax.

This time period is called the Refund Statute Expiration Date (RSED).

If you filed your return before its due date, the IRS considers it filed on the due date. If you had income tax withheld or paid estimated tax during the year, we consider those payments to have been made on the return due date.

How much credit or refund you can receive

The amount of credit or refund you can receive depends on when you file your claim.

You file a claim within 3 years from when you file your return

Your credit or refund is limited to the amount you paid during the 3 years before you filed the claim, plus any extensions of time you had to file your return.

You file a claim after 2 years from when you paid the tax

Your credit or refund is limited to the amount you paid within the 2 years right before you filed your claim.

When you didn’t file a claim within the 3-year or 2-year expiration dates

You can’t get a credit or refund if you don’t file the claim within 3 years of filing your original return, or 2 years after paying the tax, whichever is later, unless you meet an exception that allows you more time to file a claim.

Exceptions to the 3-year/2-year expiration dates

You may have more time to file a claim for credit or refund than the 3-year/2-year rules if you:

• Agree with the IRS in writing to extend the time limit to assess tax: The time limit is specified in your agreement, plus 6 months, to claim a credit or refund. There may be additional limits on the amount of credit or refund you can claim based on any limitations on the IRS’s ability to assess tax, as shown in the written terms of your signed agreement.
• Are affected by a Presidentially declared disaster: You may have up to 1 more year to claim a credit or refund.
• Serve in a designated combat zone or contingency operation: You may have additional time to file a claim for a credit or refund, but you must meet certain requirements to qualify. See Armed Forces’ Tax Guide, Publication 3 and combat zones.
• File because of a bad debt deduction or a worthless security loss: You have 7 years from the return due date for that year to file the claim. See Tax Topic 453 Bad Debt Deduction.

How to file a claim for a credit or refund

Claim a credit or refund for income taxes on your:

• Original return (for example, Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return PDF)
• Amended return (for example, Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return)

If filing an amended return, send it to the IRS Service Center where you filed your original return. You can file Form 1040-X electronically with tax return filing software to amend Forms 1040, 1040-SR, 1040NR, or 1040-SS for the current or 2 prior tax years and up to 3 amended returns per tax year. See if your preferred tax software provider is an IRS Free File provider.

Claim a credit or refund for other taxes (not income taxes) and penalties on Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement.