For most taxpayers, April 15 was the deadline to submit tax returns, unless they filed for a tax extension or reside in certain states. While the IRS has been issuing tax refunds for months, the process isn’t instantaneous for the over 66 million filers who have already received their refunds.
If you’re one of the nearly 102 million people who have filed your taxes, you might still be waiting for your refund. This is especially true if you opted for a paper check instead of direct deposit.
If it’s been more than 21 days since you filed your tax return and you haven’t received your refund, it’s time to use the IRS refund tracker tool to check the status of your refund.
## How to track my refund
The quickest way to monitor your tax refund is by using the IRS’ “Where’s My Refund?” tracker page, which also informs you if your return was rejected due to errors.
To use the “Where’s My Refund?” tools, you’ll need to provide your SSN, your filing status (single, married, or head of household), and your refund amount in whole dollars.
Visit the “Get Refund Status” page on the IRS website, enter your personal data, and then press Submit. If you’re not redirected to a page showing your refund status, you may be asked to verify your personal tax data and try again. If all the information is correct, you’ll need to enter the date you filed your return and whether you filed electronically or on paper.
Ensure that at least 24 hours have passed before tracking an online return or up to four weeks if you mailed your return.
## Why is the IRS taking so long?
Several factors can affect the timing of refund delivery, including:
* Errors
* Additional review
* Incomplete tax returns
* Corrections needed for the return
* Variations in processing times between the IRS issuing the refund and the bank posting it to an account
The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if more information is needed to process a return.
