One of the most difficult things about tax season is not always even the filing, but waiting for that refund check or to get your refund deposited into your bank account. A huge number of US taxpayers depend on their refunds to help them pay off a few bills or even add a little bit to the family budget. That’s why keeping an eye on your tax return status can help you rest easier. The Internal Revenue Service offers an official website that lets you file your returns online, but even if you go the traditional route and mail in your return, you will still be able to check the status of that return using their site. Be sure you only go to the official .gov site, though, because each year more scams pop up that try to convince taxpayers they are an official site of the IRS when they are merely data thieves trying to get your information to use in criminal schemes. Once you’ve arrived at the site you will see there is a tool called “Where’s My Refund?” that will give you the scoop on the status of your return in only a few minutes. The tool is available most of the time, but the IRS site will let you know if it is not available and if it is unavailable, when you should try it again.
In order to use the tool properly you will need to have some information ahead of time. If you get together your Social Security number (and your spouse’s if you are filing together), as well as the amount of the refund that you had listed on your tax return, then you can check your tax refund status right away. Those who are mailing their forms in will need to wait four to six weeks before they check, but if you have filed online then you should be able to check in only thirty six hours. Remember, though, the IRS only issues checks on Fridays so you will want to wait a week before you check again if you have checked recently. The tool should give you the status of your return and let you know a basic arrival date for your check or direct deposit, depending upon which option you have selected. That is all you need to do and you get to see both the status of your return and your refund in a single glance.
