Waiting for your tax refund? When it could come, and how to track it

(NEXSTAR) — While tax season can feel daunting, the paperwork can be worth it if you’re getting a refund. Waiting for your refund, however, can feel taxing.

The tax filing season officially began on January 27. Shortly after the season opened, the IRS said it had received “millions of tax returns from across the nation for processing.”

More than 140 million tax returns are expected to be filed before the federal deadline on Tax Day — this year, it’s April 15. (You may have additional time to file federal taxes, if you live in a federally-declared disaster area.)

When you do file can impact when you receive your refund, the IRS explains.

Generally, most refunds will be issued in 21 days or less. Paper returns can take longer, though.

The IRS warns against expecting your refund to come within three weeks of your taxes being filed.

“Some returns may require additional review and may take longer,” the agency said.

You can track your refund’s status on the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? tool and via the IRS2GO app.

If you file electronically this season, your refund status will be available within 24 hours. If you’re filing a paper return, it will take four weeks for your status to appear on the Where’s My Refund? tool. If you’re electronically filing a previous year’s tax return, it will take three or four days for refund status information to become available.

To track down your refund, you’ll need your Social Security or taxpayer ID number, your filing status, and the exact refund amount you’re expecting.

The Where’s My Refund? tool will only track your federal refund. You’ll need to check with your state’s department of revenue to determine if there is a way to track your state refund.

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