Where's My Refund on IRS.gov, the IRS app and your IRS online account show the same status. They update once a day, usually overnight, so checking more often doesn't help. Find the text you see in the list below.
| What you see | In short |
|---|---|
| Return Received | The IRS has your return. No date yet. |
| Refund Approved | Done processing. A send date is shown. |
| Refund Sent | Sent to your bank, or a check was mailed. |
| The bar disappeared / no information | The IRS manual says: check again tomorrow. |
| "Your tax return is still being processed…" | Not finished yet. No date yet. |
| "We have received your tax return and it is being processed" | Normal in the first weeks. |
| PATH Act message | EITC or ACTC refund held until mid-February. |
| Tax Topic 152 | General refund information. |
| Tax Topic 151 | Your appeal rights. If your refund changed, a notice follows. |
| Tax Topic 203 | Reduced refund or debt offset. |
| Treasury Offset Program | Refund taken for a non-tax debt. |
| Refund less than expected | An IRS change or an offset. |
| Reference codes 1121, 1241, 1242, 9001… | What the IRS manual says each means. |
| IND-031 | Not a Where's My Refund code. |
| Letters 5071C, 4883C, 5747C | Verify your identity before the refund is released. |
| Paper check / CP53E | Paper check phase-out began September 30, 2025. |
The three stages
The tracker bar moves through three stages. The IRS says the status is available 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, 3 days after you e-file a prior-year return, and 4 weeks after you mail a paper return. You need your Social Security number or ITIN, filing status, tax year and the exact whole-dollar refund amount from your return.
Return Received
What it means: The IRS has your return and is processing it. At this stage the tool doesn't give a refund date yet.
What to do: Nothing. Check once a day at most.
How long to wait: The IRS says a typical refund takes about 3 weeks from the day you e-filed, or 6 weeks or more from the day the IRS received a mailed return. Refunds that include the earned income or additional child tax credit can't be sent before mid-February (see the PATH Act message).
Refund Approved
What it means: Processing is finished. The tool shows the date your refund will be sent by direct deposit or mailed as a check.
What to do: Wait for that date.
How long to wait: Until the date shown. Direct deposit can take a few more days to reach your account (see Refund Sent).
Refund Sent
What it means: The IRS sent the refund. The tool shows the date it went to your bank, or the date a paper check was mailed.
What to do: Watch your account. Your bank may need time to accept a deposit, and many banks don't process payments on weekends or holidays. If the deposit doesn't arrive, contact your bank first, then file Form 3911 so the IRS can trace it. For a check that doesn't arrive, request a trace in Where's My Refund, the IRS app or at 800-829-1954; on a joint return, call 800-829-1040 or send Form 3911.
How long to wait: For direct deposit, the IRS staff manual says a trace can start 5 calendar days after the scheduled deposit date. Contact your bank first; if the bank has no record, file Form 3911 or call 800-829-1040. (IRS pages about deposits sent to a wrong account give 5 calendar days or two weeks after contacting the bank.) A paper check should arrive within 4 weeks of the date the IRS issued it.
The status bar disappeared, or "no information available"
What it means: The IRS's public pages don't explain this. Its staff manual tells phone assistors what to say when someone who first saw "We received your tax return and it is being processed" now gets no data: if the normal processing time hasn't passed, the first message is still accurate, the tool updates no more than once a day, and they should check again tomorrow. If the normal time has passed, the assistor looks into the account; the manual notes the automated systems can sometimes give a wrong answer.
What to do: Check that you entered the right tax year, filing status and exact refund amount. Look in your IRS online account. Try again the next day.
How long to wait: Until the normal processing time is up (about 3 weeks from the day you e-filed, or 6 weeks or more from the day the IRS received a mailed return). After that, the IRS can look into it by phone at 800-829-1040.
Processing messages
"Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available."
What it means: The IRS has your return but hasn't finished it, and can't give a date yet. The IRS doesn't publish when Where's My Refund shows this message. Its staff manual tells phone assistors to give this same answer once the normal time (3 weeks e-filed, 6 weeks paper) has passed. The IRS says delays happen when a return needs corrections or further review. If you claimed the earned income or additional child tax credit, the refund can't be sent before mid-February anyway (see the PATH Act message).
What to do: Watch your mail and the notices in your online account. If the IRS needs something from you, it sends a letter; answer it by the date on it. If a reference code appears, look it up in the code table.
How long to wait: The IRS doesn't give a set time for this message. The refund moves once the review is finished or you answer any letter.
"We have received your tax return and it is being processed."
What it means: The IRS has your return and it is going through normal processing. The IRS staff manual quotes this message ("We received your tax return and it is being processed") as a normal response from its automated systems.
What to do: Nothing yet. Before the normal processing time is up, IRS phone assistors are told not to research the account and can't tell you more than the tool does.
How long to wait: About 3 weeks from the day you e-filed, or 6 weeks or more from the day the IRS received a mailed return.
The PATH Act message (earned income or additional child tax credit)
What it means: The IRS staff manual gives the message word for word: "According to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS cannot issue these refunds before mid-February for tax returns that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. This applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with these credits. Check Where's My Refund in mid- to late February for your personalized refund status. It's updated once a day and remains the best way to check the status of your refund." The law behind it says no such refund before February 15.
What to do: Nothing. The whole refund waits, not just the credit part. If the IRS needs more information about the credit, it sends a letter.
How long to wait: The message stays through the end of February, or until the refund is released (IRS staff manual). As of November 7, 2026, the IRS page on EITC and ACTC refunds says you can expect the refund by March 2 if you e-file, choose direct deposit and have no issues, and that Where's My Refund should show an updated status by February 21 for most early EITC/ACTC filers. The page doesn't name a year; these look like the 2026 season dates. Our IRS refund schedule estimates the 2027 dates.
Tax topic codes
Tax Topic 152 (refund information)
What it means: A link to the IRS's general refund information. As of November 7, 2026, the Topic 152 page (irs.gov/taxtopics/tc152) redirects to irs.gov/refunds, which covers processing times, delays and reduced refunds. The IRS doesn't publish a separate meaning for seeing it in Where's My Refund, and on its own it doesn't point to a problem.
What to do: Read the main status message shown with it. Nothing else is needed.
How long to wait: The normal time: about 3 weeks from the day you e-filed, or 6 weeks or more from the day the IRS received a mailed return.
Tax Topic 151 (your appeal rights)
What it means: Topic 151 is the IRS page "Your appeal rights." It says the IRS will send you a report or letter explaining proposed changes to your return or a collection action, and your right to ask for a conference with the IRS Independent Office of Appeals. The IRS doesn't say on its public pages when Where's My Refund shows this topic. If your refund was changed, the IRS or the Bureau of the Fiscal Service mails a notice explaining why.
What to do: If a letter comes, read it. If you disagree, follow its instructions; IRS Publication 5 and Publication 556 explain appeals.
How long to wait: No set time from the IRS. Answer the letter by the date it gives.
Tax Topic 203 (reduced refund and refund offsets)
What it means: The Topic 203 page now redirects to the IRS page "Reduced refund". Your refund was smaller than on your return for one of two reasons. An IRS adjustment: a math error, a credit or deduction you don't qualify for, federal tax you owe for another year, or underpaid estimated tax. Or a debt offset: past-due child support, a federal agency non-tax debt, state income tax, or certain state unemployment debts.
What to do: For an adjustment, the IRS mails a notice explaining it. For a debt offset, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service mails a notice with your original refund, the amount taken and the agency that got it. If you agree, do nothing. If you disagree, follow the notice. On a joint return where the money went to your spouse's debt, you can ask for your share with Form 8379 (injured spouse relief).
How long to wait: The notice comes by mail; the IRS doesn't give a set time. If no offset notice arrives, call the Bureau of the Fiscal Service at 800-304-3107 (TTY 800-877-8339), Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
Money taken or a smaller refund
Treasury Offset Program (TOP)
What it means: A Treasury program, run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, that takes money from federal payments such as tax refunds to pay past-due debts owed to federal and state agencies, for example child support. Before a debt is sent to it, the agency you owe must send you a letter saying what the debt is, how much, that it plans to take a federal payment, and your rights.
What to do: Call the TOP line at 800-304-3107 to find which agency the debt is with, then deal with that agency; TOP staff can't discuss the debt or return money. The IRS doesn't receive the details of these offsets. Contact the IRS only if the refund amount on the offset notice is different from the one on your return.
How long to wait: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service says it can take two weeks or more after the offset before the agency you owe receives the money.
The refund is less than you expected
What it means: The IRS lists the usual reasons: math errors or mistakes on the return, federal taxes you owe, state income tax, child support, student loans or other past-due federal debts, or the IRS holding part of the refund while it reviews something you claimed.
What to do: Look for a letter. An IRS change comes with an IRS notice explaining it; a debt offset comes with a notice from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (see Tax Topic 203). Your IRS online account and account transcript also show changes; code 898 on a transcript is an offset.
How long to wait: The notice comes by mail. If you disagree, follow the instructions in it.
Where's My Refund reference codes
Sometimes Where's My Refund shows a phone number and a 4-digit reference code instead of a date. The IRS staff manual gives one example: Where's My Refund shows 800-829-0582 if there are math errors or other conditions on the account. The IRS doesn't explain the codes on its public pages, but the same manual lists "the most common reference codes" (Internal Revenue Manual, Exhibit 21.4.1-3). This is what that list says, in plain English; we left out a few rare codes about savings bonds and split refunds. If your code isn't in the IRS list at all, the IRS doesn't publish its meaning, and we don't guess.
| Code | What the IRS manual says it means |
|---|---|
| 1001 | A paper refund check was mailed more than 4 weeks ago. If it hasn't arrived, request a refund trace. |
| 1021 | Part of the refund was taken by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for a debt (an offset), and the check was mailed more than 4 weeks ago. |
| 1081 | The IRS applied all or part of the refund to tax you owe, and the check was mailed more than 4 weeks ago. |
| 1091 | The IRS applied all or part of the refund to tax you owe, and any amount left was direct deposited more than 1 week ago. |
| 1121 | "Problem identified." The manual ties it to a P- freeze, which is set when a refund is returned, canceled or stopped, for example a direct deposit the bank rejected or a refund stopped before it went out. |
| 1141, 1341 | Refund delayed because of a balance owed on another IRS account. |
| 1161, 1421 | Refund delayed because of a bankruptcy on the account. |
| 1181, 1221 | Refund delayed: the return was pulled for review. |
| 1241 | Paper return received more than 6 weeks ago and in review. You will get a notice asking for more information. |
| 1242 | E-filed return received more than 3 weeks ago and in review. You will get a notice asking for more information. |
| 1261, 1262 | Paper (1261) or e-filed (1262) return in review, with part of the refund held as possibly not allowed. You will get a notice asking for more information. |
| 1361, 1381, 1401 | Refund held to pay all or part of another tax debt. |
| 1441 | Refund delayed: the Social Security number, ITIN or name doesn't match Social Security Administration or IRS records. |
| 1502 | Direct deposit sent more than 2 weeks ago. Check with your bank, then file a claim to trace it. |
| 1551 | Refund frozen under the IRS Frivolous Return Program. |
| 1561 | Hold set when the return claims fewer credits than the account shows are available. |
| 1571 | Hold set after an erroneous refund. |
| 1581 | Manual refund hold. |
| 2009 | The refund check came back undelivered from the Postal Service. The IRS needs your current address. |
| 9001 | "Systemic error/issue." The manual only tells IRS staff to analyze the account. It says nothing more. |
| 9021 | Math error on the return. |
| 9022, 9023, 9024 | Math error on the return, and: direct deposit sent more than 1 week ago (9022), paper check mailed more than 4 weeks ago (9023), or a balance due of more than $50 (9024). |
What to do with any code: call the number Where's My Refund shows, with your return and any IRS letter in front of you. The manual tells assistors to research the account when a caller gives a reference code. If the code says a notice is coming, wait for it and answer it by its date.
9001: you may read online that it means identity theft or a problem with someone else's Social Security number. The IRS doesn't say that. Its manual lists 9001 only as "Systemic error/issue."
IND-031
What it means: IND-031 isn't a Where's My Refund reference code: it isn't in the IRS's list above, and those codes are 4-digit numbers. Codes like it appear in tax software when an e-filed return is rejected. We couldn't find the meaning of IND-031 on any public IRS page, so we don't repeat the guesses online; your tax software shows the explanation next to the code.
What to do: Follow the software's instructions to fix and resubmit the return. If the software says your prior-year AGI or PIN didn't match: the IRS says you sign an e-filed return with last year's adjusted gross income or Self-Select PIN, or your IP PIN if you have one, and you can see last year's AGI in the Tax Records tab of your IRS online account.
How long to wait: Nothing to wait for until the return goes through. After that, the normal times apply: about 3 weeks for an e-filed return.
Identity verification letters
These letters mean the IRS received a return under your Social Security number or ITIN and won't process it, or send a refund, until you confirm you filed it. If you didn't file, tell the IRS: someone may have used your information. If you verify, you don't need to file Form 14039, the identity theft affidavit, unless the IRS tells you to. The phone numbers on these letters are for verification only; they generally can't give your refund status.
Letter 5071C (CP5071 series)
What it means: The IRS needs you to verify your identity and your return. The series includes CP5071, 5071C and CP5071F.
What to do: If your notice offers online verification, use irs.gov/verifyreturn (idverify.irs.gov now goes to the same page). Have the notice, the return for the year on it, a prior-year return if you have one, and your W-2s, 1099s and schedules. If you can't verify online, follow the notice's other options.
How long to wait: The IRS says to wait 2 to 3 weeks after verifying online before checking your refund, and it may take up to 9 weeks to process your return after you verify.
Letter 4883C
What it means: The same request, but by phone. It can't be done online.
What to do: Call the Taxpayer Protection Program hotline on the letter. Have the letter, the return it mentions, a prior-year return if you have one, and supporting documents such as W-2s and 1099s. If you can't verify by phone, the IRS will ask you to verify in person at a local IRS office.
How long to wait: Up to 9 weeks after you verify. Until you verify, the IRS can't process the return or issue a refund.
Letter 5747C
What it means: The IRS needs you to verify your identity in person.
What to do: If you filed the return, call the number on the letter to book an appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Bring the letter, the return, supporting documents, a government photo ID and one more document from the letter's list, such as your Social Security card or a utility bill. If you didn't file, call the Taxpayer Protection Program hotline on the letter.
How long to wait: The IRS says processing may take up to 9 weeks once it has verified your identity and confirmed you filed the return.
The online service at irs.gov/verifyreturn is only for the CP5071 series and letter 5447C. To keep anyone else from filing under your number, the IRS offers an Identity Protection PIN.
Refund sent by direct deposit or paper check
Following Executive Order 14247, the IRS began phasing out paper refund checks on September 30, 2025, as far as the law allows. The IRS says electronic refunds are issued in less than 21 days in most cases, while refunds by mail may take 6 weeks or longer.
- No bank account, or the bank rejects the deposit: the IRS mails a CP53E notice. You then have 30 days to add an account in your IRS online account, or to pick one of the limited exceptions that allow a paper check. Allow about 2 to 5 business days for the refund status to update after you add it.
- If you don't respond, the IRS issues a paper check after 6 weeks.
- The account must be yours: in your own name or a joint account you share. You get one chance to add or fix it online; if that deposit is rejected too, you get a paper check. IRS phone staff can't change bank details.
We cover the CP53E rules and how they change refund dates in the IRS refund schedule and what's new for the 2027 tax season. To guess your date, use the refund date calculator.
Common questions
What does Tax Topic 152 mean on Where's My Refund? It links to the IRS's general refund information, and the Topic 152 page now redirects to irs.gov/refunds. The IRS doesn't publish a separate meaning for it, and on its own it doesn't point to a specific problem.
What does "Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available" mean? The IRS has your return but hasn't finished it and can't give a date yet. The IRS doesn't publish when the tool shows this message; its staff manual gives the same answer to callers once 3 weeks (e-file) or 6 weeks (paper) have passed. Watch your mail and your online account for a letter.
Why did the Where's My Refund bar disappear? The IRS's public pages don't explain it. Its staff manual says the tool updates no more than once a day, and that before the normal processing time is up, an earlier "received and being processed" message is still accurate. Check again the next day.
What does reference code 9001 mean? The IRS staff manual lists 9001 as "Systemic error/issue" and tells IRS staff to analyze the account. The IRS doesn't publish anything more specific, so call the number Where's My Refund shows with the code.
How long after verifying my identity will I get my refund? The IRS says to wait 2 to 3 weeks after verifying online before you check your refund, and that it may take up to 9 weeks to process your return after you verify.
Who do I call about a refund offset? The Treasury Offset Program line at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service: 800-304-3107 (TTY 800-877-8339). The IRS doesn't get the details of these offsets. Call the IRS only if the refund amount on the offset notice is different from the one on your return.
Published November 7, 2026. Sources: IRS "Refunds" page; IRS "Reduced refund" page; IRS direct deposit page; IRS Topic no. 151, Your appeal rights; "When to expect your refund if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit"; IRS refund inquiries FAQs; IRS "Validating your electronically filed tax return"; IRS "Verify your return"; "Understanding your CP5071 series notice"; "Understanding your letter 4883C"; "Understanding your letter 5747C"; "Understanding your CP53E notice"; IRS "Modernizing payments to and from America's bank account"; Internal Revenue Manual 21.4.1, Refund Inquiries (including Exhibit 21.4.1-3, reference numbers); Internal Revenue Manual 21.5.6, Freeze Codes; Bureau of the Fiscal Service, "Treasury Offset Program" and its "FAQs for the Public". All pages checked November 7, 2026.