Life changes
Where’s My Refund? Checking Status and Fixing Delays
Most e-filed refunds arrive without trouble. When yours does not, the IRS tracking tool and the letters that follow usually tell you why.
Reviewed by LaToya Clark-Thompson, FounderLast updated
How to check your refund status
For your federal refund, use the IRS Where’s My Refund tool on irs.gov or the IRS2Go app. You need three things: your Social Security number or ITIN, your filing status, and the exact whole-dollar refund amount shown on your return. Status is also visible in your IRS Online Account.
The tool shows three stages: Return Received, Refund Approved and Refund Sent. It updates once a day, usually overnight, so checking more often does not reveal anything new. An e-filed return shows up sooner than a paper one, and a paper return takes much longer to appear at all.
For your South Carolina refund, SCDOR has its own refund status lookup on dor.sc.gov. The state and federal refunds are processed separately and rarely arrive together.
Common reasons a refund is held
- You claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit. By law (the PATH Act), the IRS cannot issue those refunds before mid-February, and the hold applies to the whole refund, not only the credit
- The IRS needs to confirm your identity. You may get Letter 5071C or a similar letter asking you to verify online. See Letter 5071C
- There was a math error, a mismatch with a W-2 or 1099, or a credit the IRS wants to review
- Someone else claimed the same dependent
- The return was filed on paper, or it was an amended return, which has its own tracker
- Part or all of the refund went to a past-due debt
- The bank rejected the direct deposit because of a wrong account number or a closed account. The IRS generally sends a CP53E notice asking you to add a valid account in your IRS Online Account, and the refund waits until you do
When to call, and when to wait
If the tool still says Return Received and no letter has arrived, waiting is usually right. If the tool tells you to contact the IRS, or a letter asks for something, act on it promptly: the refund will not move until you do. Read any letter against our guide on whether an IRS letter is real before calling a number on it.
If your return showed a refund and the deposit was smaller, the IRS either adjusted the return (it sends a notice) or applied part to a debt. See refund taken for a debt.
If your refund comes through a bank product
If you chose to have preparation fees taken from your refund, or took a refund advance, the IRS sends the refund to the bank that processes that product first. The IRS tool shows when the refund left the Treasury, and the bank’s own status page shows when it was passed on to you. Our refund advance page links to those status pages.
How we help
When we prepare your return, we track the e-file acceptance and can tell you where it stands. If a refund is held for a letter, we help you read it, gather what the IRS asks for and prepare the response documents. If the matter needs representation, the independent licensed CPA we work with handles it, with our office coordinating. Send any letter through the secure client portal, or start with tax preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Where’s My Refund still say received?
Return Received means the IRS has your return and is processing it. Most move to Refund Approved without action from you. It can stay longer if you claimed the EITC or ACTC, if the IRS is checking identity or a mismatch, or if the return was on paper. If a letter arrives, respond to it, because the refund waits on your reply.
Why can’t I get my refund before mid-February if I claimed the EITC?
Federal law, from the PATH Act, stops the IRS from issuing any refund that claims the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit before mid-February. The rule gives the IRS time to match income records and catch fraud. It holds the entire refund, including any part not related to the credit. Filing early still puts you at the front of the line once the hold lifts.
How do I check my South Carolina state refund?
Use the refund status lookup on the South Carolina Department of Revenue site, dor.sc.gov. It works separately from the IRS tool, and the two refunds are processed on their own schedules. SCDOR may also send its own identity verification letter before releasing a refund. See SCDOR identity verification if one arrives.
What if my refund was deposited into the wrong account?
If the bank rejects the deposit, the IRS now generally sends a CP53E notice asking you to add a valid account through your IRS Online Account, and the refund waits until you do, so respond to it promptly. If the deposit went into someone else’s valid account, contact the IRS to start a refund trace, and contact the bank. The IRS cannot change your direct deposit details once the return is accepted, so check them carefully before you file.
Not the question you had? The full tax FAQ covers more ground, and our client reviews say what the work is actually like.
Related pages
Your refund was taken for a debt
Refund offsets for back taxes, child support, student loans and state debts, and how a spouse can get their share back.
Learn moreGetting a refund advance
What a refund advance is, who lends it, how it is repaid and what to check before you apply.
Learn moreYour refund is smaller than last year
Withholding, aged-out credits, side income and status changes: the usual reasons a refund drops, and how to tell which one is yours.
Learn moreYou owe taxes this year
Why you owe, why filing on time matters more than paying in full, and the payment options the IRS offers.
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