From 26 January 2026, the IRS started accepting individual tax returns for the 2025 tax year. When you file your tax return, you can track it through the IRS refund tracker and easily get aware about your refund processing. If you are filing a tax return this tax season, you can learn everything about the refund tracker here.
What is the IRS refund tracker 2026?
The IRS understands taxpayers’ concern for the tax refund; hence, to ease the worries of the taxpayers and make the system more transparent, the agency introduced the Where’s My Refund tool in 2002. The tool provides an update to the tax return and refund as the IRS updates the status once a day.
The tool allows taxpayers to track their return status 24 hours after e-filing. The tool has been one of the easiest ways for taxpayers to get updates on their tax refund and return. The new tax season has begun, and you can use this tool via the IRS official website, the IRS2Go mobile app, or your IRS online tax account.
The tool allows you to track refund status for this year as well as for prior-year filed returns, so you can see refund status for the past two years as well. For instance, with this tax year, you can see the refund status of the 2024 and 2023 tax years as well.
How do you use the IRS refund tracker?
The IRS refund tracker, Where’s My Refund, tool is easy to use; you just need your Social Security Number, tax year, refund amount, and filing status, and follow the steps below:
- Go to the IRS official website, the IRS2Go mobile app, or your online tax account.
- Now, click the Refund Status option in online services and click the “Check your Refund” option in the Where’s My Refund page.
- Once you click it, you will land on a new page, where you have to enter your SSN, tax year, and others.
- After you click the Submit button, your refund status will appear on your screen, which will let you know the processing stage of your return and refund.
What does the IRS refund tracker status imply?
The IRS refund tracker shows the status in three stages, and each stage signifies different things, such as:
- Return Received: When the IRS receives your individual tax return, it starts processing it.
- Refund Approved: The agency has approved your refund, as mentioned in the return, and is now preparing to issue it with the date included.
- Refund Sent: The agency has sent your tax refund, which means you can expect it soon. The direct deposit claims can expect the refund to arrive in 4 to 5 days after processing.
What if you claimed the EITC/ACTC with a tax return?
Now, if you claimed the EITC/ACTC with your tax return, you can check the refund status through the same refund tracker tool. However, you have to wait for the update about the refund from the IRS if you are an early filer.
The wait is due to the PATH Act, which restricts the IRS from processing the refunds and holds them until mid-February. Hence, if you check the Where’s My Refund tool for the return with the EITC/ACTC claim, you can find the return received status only till mid-February.
According to the IRS, you can expect the refund status to be updated for the EITC/ACTC claim for the filers from 21 February 2026. Hence, wait for the return to be processed and expect the refund by 03 March 2026.
What is the change in the IRS refund processing this year?
The 2026 tax season has introduced some changes to the refund process as the agency has phased out the paper check refund on 30 September 2025. The federal government introduced these changes to speed up the process and save the cost of paper checks.
The paper check refund can be delayed, lost, or stolen, plus it also costs a lot of money to send and prepare. With this electronic payment expansion, the government resolved this issue and provided faster refunds to taxpayers. The agency urges taxpayers to file a return with direct deposit because that way, you can expect your refund within 21 days of e-filing.
The direct deposit refund will be easier to track and trace for you and the agency, and solve many other issues. The IRS will also refund processing to debit cards or digital wallets. So, remember to include your electronic payment method in the return; if not, the agency can delay your refund to obtain the bank account or other information.
Taxpayers filing the tax returns can keep an eye on their return and refund processing easily through the Where’s My Refund tool and estimate their refund date.