The Where's My Refund tool goes offline for maintenance and during peak filing season

The IRS Where's My Refund tool becomes unavailable for several predictable reasons. The most common is scheduled maintenance, which the IRS performs nightly from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and for longer stretches during major system updates. During tax season (January through October), the tool also goes down when traffic spikes beyond what the servers can handle, usually in the first few weeks after the filing deadline.

If you see a message saying the tool is temporarily unavailable, it does not mean your refund is delayed or lost—it means you cannot check the status right now. The IRS processes refunds on its own schedule regardless of whether you can see the status online.

The tool also becomes unavailable if you have not filed a return yet for the year you are checking, or if you are checking for a refund from a return filed more than 21 days ago that has not yet posted to the IRS system. In those cases, the tool will not show your information until the return has been processed.

Key Takeaways

  • Scheduled maintenance takes the Where's My Refund tool offline every night from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and for longer periods during system updates.
  • If the tool is down during tax season, wait a few hours and try again—traffic overloads are temporary and resolve on their own.
  • You can check your refund status by phone at 1-800-829-1040 or through the IRS mobile app even when the website tool is unavailable.
  • If your return was filed more than 21 days ago and the tool still will not show your information, contact the IRS directly to confirm the return was received and processed.

When the tool is down for scheduled maintenance

The IRS takes the Where's My Refund tool offline every night between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This is routine maintenance and happens whether or not you see a notice about it. If you try to check your refund during these hours, you will get an error message or a blank page.

The solution is simple: wait until 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time and try again. Your refund status has not changed—you just cannot see it temporarily. If you are in a different time zone, convert 5:00 a.m. Eastern to your local time. For example, 5:00 a.m. Eastern is 4:00 a.m. Central, 3:00 a.m. Mountain, and 2:00 a.m. Pacific.

Longer maintenance windows happen without warning, sometimes lasting several hours or a full day. The IRS posts notices about these on its website, but they are not always visible on the Where's My Refund page itself. If the tool is down for more than a few hours, check IRS.gov for a banner or notice explaining the outage.

When traffic overloads the system during tax season

In January and February, and again in early April around the tax deadline, the Where's My Refund tool can become slow or unavailable because too many people are trying to use it at the same time. The IRS does not shut it down intentionally—the servers simply cannot handle the volume. This usually happens in the afternoon and evening hours when most people check their refunds.

If you see an error or a very slow page during these times, try again in the early morning (before 8:00 a.m. Eastern) or late at night (after 10:00 p.m. Eastern). Traffic is lightest during these hours, and the tool is more likely to respond quickly.

You do not need to keep refreshing or trying repeatedly in quick succession. Each attempt adds to the server load. Wait at least 30 minutes between tries, or come back the next day.

Using the IRS phone line and mobile app instead

If the Where's My Refund website is unavailable, you can check your refund status by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. The phone line is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Have your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact refund amount from your return ready when you call.

The IRS mobile app, called IRS2Go, also shows refund status and is sometimes more reliable than the website during peak traffic times. You can download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app uses the same data as the website, so if one is down, the other may be too—but they do not always go down at the same time.

Both the phone line and the app will tell you the same information: whether your return has been received, whether it is being processed, and when your refund is expected to arrive. If your return was filed more than 21 days ago and none of these methods show your information, the return may not have been received or processed yet.

What to do if the tool stays unavailable for days

If the Where's My Refund tool has been down for more than 24 hours, or if you cannot reach the IRS by phone, check the IRS website for a service status page or outage notice. The IRS publishes these at IRS.gov under "Alerts" or "System Status".

If there is no notice and the tool has been down for several days, contact the IRS directly. You can call 1-800-829-1040 during business hours, or you can visit a local IRS office in person. Bring your Social Security number, filing status, and a copy of your return if you have one. The IRS can tell you whether your return was received and what stage of processing it is in.

Extended outages are rare. Most unavailability is either scheduled maintenance (which lasts a few hours) or traffic overload (which resolves within hours or a day). If you cannot check your status for several days, something else may be wrong with your return—such as a missing document or a discrepancy the IRS needs you to fix—and calling is the fastest way to find out.

Why the tool says your information is not available

Sometimes the Where's My Refund tool loads without an error, but it tells you that your information is not available. This is different from the tool being down. It usually means one of three things: your return has not been filed yet, your return was filed fewer than 21 days ago, or your return has been filed but the IRS has not processed it yet.

The IRS typically needs 21 days to process a return after it is received. During tax season, this can take longer. If you filed electronically, the return usually reaches the IRS within 24 hours. If you mailed a paper return, it can take two to four weeks to arrive and be scanned into the system.

If your return was filed more than 21 days ago and the tool still says your information is not available, call 1-800-829-1040 to confirm the return was received. The IRS can see whether it arrived and what stage it is in, even if the public-facing tool cannot show you yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Where's My Refund tool being down mean my refund is delayed?

No. The tool being unavailable is a technical issue with the website or app, not with your refund itself. The IRS processes refunds on its own schedule. You just cannot see the status temporarily. Once the tool is back up, it will show you the same information it would have shown before it went down.

Can I check my refund status another way if the website is down?

Yes. Call 1-800-829-1040 (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Eastern) or use the IRS2Go mobile app. Both show the same refund information as the website. The phone line and app sometimes stay up when the website is overloaded.

How long does the Where's My Refund tool usually stay down?

Scheduled nightly maintenance lasts about five hours (12:00 a.m.–5:00 a.m. Eastern). Traffic overloads during tax season usually resolve within a few hours. Unscheduled maintenance or major updates can last longer, but the IRS posts notices about these on its website.

What if I filed my return more than 21 days ago and the tool still will not show my information?

Call 1-800-829-1040 or visit a local IRS office. The IRS can confirm whether your return was received and what stage of processing it is in. If it has been more than 21 days and the return has not been processed, there may be an issue the IRS needs to resolve.

Is there a way to know when the Where's My Refund tool will be back up?

For scheduled maintenance, the tool is always back by 5:00 a.m. Eastern. For traffic overloads, there is no set time—try again in a few hours or the next morning. For unscheduled outages, check IRS.gov for a notice about when service will be restored.