Check the IRS tracking tool first, before you assume something went wrong
The IRS has a free tool called Where's My Refund? that tells you the exact status of your return and when your money will land. Go to irs.gov, click "Refunds," and enter your Social Security number, filing status, and the refund amount. The tool updates once per day, usually overnight.
If the tool says your refund is still processing, you are not late yet. Most refunds arrive within 21 days of the IRS receiving your return. If you filed by mail, add another week or two for the IRS to scan and enter your paperwork into their system before the clock starts.
If the tool shows "approved" or "sent," but the money has not hit your bank account, check your bank's incoming transfer history. Sometimes a deposit takes an extra day or two to clear, or it may have landed in a different account than you expected — especially if you changed banks since last year's return.
Key Takeaways
- Where's My Refund? on irs.gov is the only official source for your refund status and updates once per day.
- Most refunds arrive within 21 days of the IRS receiving your return, longer if you filed by mail.
- If your refund was sent but never arrived, the IRS can issue a replacement check or trace a missing direct deposit within 120 days of the original send date.
- Errors on your return — wrong bank account, math mistakes, or missing information — can delay or stop your refund, and the IRS will mail you a notice explaining what is wrong.
- If the IRS has not contacted you and your refund is more than 21 days late, call the IRS refund hotline at 800-829-1040 to request a trace.
How to request a trace if your refund is genuinely missing
A refund trace is an investigation the IRS runs to find out what happened to your money. You can request one if your refund was sent more than 21 days ago but never arrived. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. your local time). Have your Social Security number, filing status, and the refund amount ready.
The IRS will ask whether you received a check or chose direct deposit. If it was a check, they will tell you whether it was cashed. If it was cashed but you never saw it, the IRS can issue a replacement. If it was never cashed, they can stop payment and reissue it. If it was direct deposit, they will trace the transfer to your bank and ask your bank to search their records for the incoming deposit.
The trace process takes about four weeks. The IRS will mail you a letter with the results. If they find the money was sent to the wrong account, they will issue a replacement check to your correct address. If the check was lost in the mail, they will reissue it.
What to do if the IRS says your return has an error
If Where's My Refund? shows a delay or if your refund never arrives, the IRS may have found a problem with your return. The IRS will mail you a notice — usually a CP notice or an IRS letter — explaining what is wrong. Common issues include a math error, a missing form, a wrong bank account number, or income that does not match what your employer reported.
Read the notice carefully. It will tell you exactly what the IRS found and what you need to do. Some notices require you to send back a signed form or additional documents. Others just inform you that the IRS corrected the error and your refund is smaller than you thought. Do not ignore the notice — if you disagree with what the IRS found, you have a deadline to respond, usually 30 days from the date on the letter.
If you made a mistake on your return — such as entering the wrong bank account number — you can file an amended return using Form 1040-X. Mail it to the address shown in the IRS notice, or file it electronically through tax software. An amended return can take 16 weeks or longer to process, so this route is slow.
Direct deposit problems: wrong account number or closed bank account
If you entered the wrong bank account number on your return, the IRS will send the deposit to that account. If the account does not exist or belongs to someone else, the bank will reject the transfer and send it back to the IRS. The IRS will then mail you a check to your address on file instead. This adds two to three weeks to your wait.
If you closed the bank account where you told the IRS to send the refund, the bank will reject the deposit. Again, the IRS will mail a check. Call your bank to ask whether they can tell you when the rejected transfer came back — this helps you know when to expect the check in the mail.
To avoid this next year, double-check your routing number and account number before you file. Your bank statement or online banking portal shows both. The routing number is nine digits; the account number is usually 10 to 12 digits.
If the IRS says your refund was sent but your bank says it never arrived
This is rare but does happen. Where's My Refund? shows your refund was sent, but your bank has no record of receiving it. Call your bank's customer service line and tell them you are looking for an incoming ACH transfer (that is the technical name for a direct deposit). Give them the date the IRS says it was sent and the amount. Ask them to search their incoming transfer log for that date and amount.
If your bank finds the transfer but it is stuck in a pending status, ask them to release it. If they find nothing, ask them to file a trace request with the Federal Reserve, which handles all ACH transfers. Your bank can do this for you at no cost. The Federal Reserve will investigate and either locate the transfer or confirm it never arrived. This takes about 10 business days.
If the Federal Reserve confirms the transfer never arrived, the IRS will issue a replacement check. You will need to provide the IRS with written proof from your bank that they searched and found nothing. The IRS will mail this check to your address on file.
What happens if you never filed a return at all
If you did not file a tax return but you think you should have received a refund, the IRS will not send you money on its own. You have to file the return first. You can file a return for a prior year at any time, though the IRS will only refund money from the past three years. If you are owed a refund from four or more years ago, that money is gone.
File using tax software, a tax preparer, or Form 1040 and the schedules that match your situation. Mail it to the IRS address for your state, or file electronically if you have an ITIN or Social Security number. Processing takes the same 21 days as a current-year return, though prior-year returns sometimes take longer because the IRS has to match your information against old records.
Refund offset: when the government keeps your money
Sometimes the IRS or another government agency will hold your refund to pay a debt you owe. This is called offset. Common reasons include unpaid federal taxes from a prior year, unpaid student loans, unpaid child support, or a state tax debt. The IRS will mail you a notice explaining the offset and which agency took the money.
If you disagree with the offset, you have the right to request a hearing. The notice will explain how to request one and the deadline to do so. If you agree the debt is real but cannot pay it all at once, you may be able to set up a payment plan with the agency that holds the debt. Contact them directly — the notice will have their phone number.
Offsets can take several months to process. The agency that took your money has to send it to the IRS, which then has to send it to the other agency. During this time, Where's My Refund? may still show your refund as approved or sent, even though you will never receive it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait before I call the IRS about a missing refund?
Wait until at least 21 days have passed since the IRS received your return. If you filed electronically, that is 21 days from the date you submitted it. If you filed by mail, add one to two weeks for the IRS to process it first. Check Where's My Refund? every few days — once it shows your refund was sent, you can request a trace if it does not arrive within a few more days.
Can I get my refund faster if I call the IRS?
No. Calling the IRS does not speed up processing. The only reason to call is if your refund is genuinely missing or if you received a notice about an error. Otherwise, Where's My Refund? is the only tool that will tell you your status.
What if I filed my return but the IRS has no record of receiving it?
If you filed electronically, you should have received a confirmation number. Contact the IRS with that number and they can search their system. If you filed by mail, the IRS may not have scanned it yet — wait another week or two. If you are certain you mailed it and it has been more than three weeks, call the IRS to request a search. You may need to file again.
Do I have to pay taxes on a refund I receive?
No. A tax refund is your own money being returned to you, not income. You do not owe taxes on it.
What if someone else claimed my refund?
This is identity theft. Call the IRS immediately at 800-829-1040 and tell them your refund was sent to the wrong person or account. The IRS will freeze your account and investigate. You will also want to file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov and consider placing a fraud alert with the credit bureaus.