When will the IRS send my tax refund? How to track your income tax return money

With Tax Day now on May 17, you have just a couple of weeks left to file your 2020 taxes or request an extension. If you’ve already filed but haven’t received your income tax refund yet, you can track its status using two IRS refund-status tools. These IRS apps will let you know if the IRS has received your tax return, if it’s processing it and when your refund was sent. 

You can use this refund tracker tool if you claimed missing stimulus money as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 taxes. If you haven’t yet received your third stimulus check, the agency has tools for you to track the status of that, as well. 

We’ll show you how to track down your refund and how to estimate when it might arrive. Also, here’s what we know about filing an amended tax form, COVID-related credits and benefits and a possible fourth stimulus check. If you received unemployment benefits in 2020, you could qualify for a tax exemption and get extra money with your refund. If you have kids, you might want to know about child tax credit payments, including how much money you could get. This story was recently updated. 

How to track your 2020 tax refund status with the IRS

To track the status of your tax refund, you need several things on hand: Your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your filing status — single, married or head of household — and your refund amount in whole dollars, which you can find on your tax return. Also, make sure it’s been at least 24 hours before you try tracking your refund.

Using the IRS tool Where’s My Refund, enter your SSN or ITIN, your filing status and your exact refund amount, then press Submit. If you entered your information correctly, you’ll be taken to a page that shows your refund status. If not, you may be asked to verify your personal tax data and try again. If all the information looks correct, you’ll need to enter the date you filed your taxes, along with whether you filed electronically or on paper.

The IRS also has a mobile app, called IRS2Go, that checks your tax refund status. The IRS updates the data in this tool overnight, so if you don’t see a status change after 24 hours or more, check back the following day.

Now playing:
Watch this:

Your tax questions answered in 3 minutes

3:26

Tax return status messages you may see

Both the IRS tools (online and mobile) will show you one of three messages to explain your tax return status.

• Received: The IRS now has your tax return and is working to process it.
• Approved: The IRS has processed your return and confirmed the amount of your refund, if you’re owed one.
• Sent: Your refund is now on its way to your bank via direct deposit or as a paper check to your mailbox. (Here’s how to change your address on file if you moved.)

Tax refund wait time: Some could face delays

The IRS usually issues tax refunds within 21 days, and many people get their refunds much sooner. However, this year, the IRS is facing delays due to a variety of complications, and some…