Once the IRS and/or state tax agency acknowledges (accepts) your return, you'll receive a notification letting you know the return was successfully received. You can then log in to your account and access your accepted return from your Tax Home.
How You'll Know Your Return Was Accepted
When the IRS and/or state tax agency acknowledges your federal and/or state return, we'll automatically send a notification to:
- The email address associated with your account
- Your in-product Messages center (located under your profile picture in the top-right corner)
If you don't receive the email notification, check your Spam or Junk folder. You may also want to add our email address to your safe senders list to help ensure future messages reach your inbox.
How to Access Your Accepted Tax Return
After your federal and/or state return has been accepted, you can log in and view your return from the Tax Home screen.
To print a copy of your return:
- Go to Tax Home
- Select Print
- Choose the return you'd like to print
Keeping a copy of your accepted return can be helpful if you need it for loan applications, financial records, or future tax filing reference.
When Can You Use the IRS Where's My Refund? Tool?
You can begin tracking your federal refund once the IRS starts processing your return.
Here’s when the tool will show an update:
- E‑Filed Federal Returns -The IRS typically updates Where’s My Refund? about 24 hours after your return has been accepted.
- Mailed Federal Returns -Paper‑filed returns usually take 4 weeks or more before they appear in Where’s My Refund?
How Often Does the IRS Update Refund Status?
The IRS updates the Where's My Refund? tool once per day, typically overnight.
Checking multiple times throughout the day won't provide new information because the status is refreshed only once each day.
Where to Check Your Federal Refund Status
You can check your refund status at:
https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund
To access your refund information, you'll need:
- Your Social Security Number (SSN)
- Your filing status
- The exact refund amount shown on your tax return