IRS Tax Refund Status 2026: The IRS has provided the Where’s My Refund? tool and the IRS2Go mobile application to check tax refund status. Using these, one can check the status of their refund by providing very basic details.
If you have filed your 2026 tax return, you can check your filing status using the tool or mobile application. To check the status, you have to wait 24 hours for electronic filing and four weeks for on-paper filing.
Here, we have discussed in detail about checking IRS tax refund status. By reading this article thoroughly, you can know how to check the status and what the meaning of different status messages is.
IRS Tax Refund Status 2026
The Internal Revenue Service provides tools and mobile applications to check tax refund status so that all filers can stay updated on their tax refunds. If you have filed your return and want to know when you will receive your refund, you can check its status.
Once the tax return is approved by the IRS, the exact refund date will be displayed on both the tool and the mobile application. The information required to check your tax refund status includes your Social Security Number, tax year, filing status, and refund amount.
How to check the IRS Tax Refund Status for 2026?
In order to check the 2026 IRS tax refund status, please go through the step-by-step instructions listed below.
- Go to the official website of the Internal Revenue Service.
- Click on the ‘Use refund tracker’ option and go to the next page.
- Enter your Social Security Number.
- Choose your tax year as 2025.
- Opt for filing status as Single, Married-Filing Joint Return, Married-Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er)/Surviving Spouse.
- Enter your refund amount and click on the Submit button.
After going through the guide given above, you will successfully have checked that your tax refund is received, approved, or sent by the Internal Revenue Service.
What’s the meaning of the 2026 IRS tax refund status messages?
Received, Approved, and Sent are the three main messages that appear when checking your 2026 IRS tax refund status. You can understand the meaning of them from the points given below.
- Received: This means the Internal Revenue Service has received your tax return, but they haven’t reviewed it yet.
- Approved: This means the Internal Revenue Service has reviewed and approved your tax return, and your refund will be sent soon.
- Sent: This means the Internal Revenue Service has released your refund, and you should receive it shortly.
If there is a mistake in your tax return or any document is missing, the refund status will show something other than “received,” “approved,” or “sent.” If this happens, contact a tax professional; they will guide you on what to do next.
When to expect the 2026 IRS tax refund?
For tax year 2025, the Internal Revenue Service is taking approximately four weeks to process refunds. The e-filing process began on January 9, 2026, and the tax season started on January 26, 2026. Those whose tax returns were approved on January 26, 2026, received their refunds on January 31, 2026.
If we analyze the processing time mentioned above, it took a total of 23 days to receive the refund after filing the initial return. You will also receive your refund within a similar timeframe. However, if you have claimed the EITC and/or ACTC, then in this case, it will take longer than the usual time to receive the refund.
Delays in receiving earned income tax credits and/or additional child tax credit refunds will occur due to the PATH Act, as this law prevents the IRS from processing these refunds before February 15. The earliest refunds will be issued on March 2, 2026, for those whose returns are approved on February 21, 2026.