Tax tip: Many ways to check the status of your refund

Once you have filed your federal tax return and if you are due a refund, you have several options to check on it — online, by phone and a smartphone application.

Online

Go to www.irs.gov and click on the interactive tools Where's My Refund? or ¿Dónde está mi reembolso? to get information about your refund.

Whether you split your refund among several accounts, opted for direct deposit into one account, used part of your refund to buy U.S. Savings Bonds or asked the IRS to mail you a check, Where's My Refund? and ¿Dónde está mi reembolso? give you online access to your refund information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Toll-free number

You also can check the status of your refund in English or Spanish by calling the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954 or the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477.

When calling, you must provide your or your spouse's Social Security number, filing status and the exact whole-dollar refund amount shown on your return.

IRS2Go

This smartphone application lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund.

Apple users can download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the Apple App Store.

Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app.

When to check

If you e-file, you can get refund information 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your return.

If you file a paper return, refund information will generally be available three to four weeks after mailing your return.

What you need

When checking the status of your refund, have your federal tax return handy.

To get your personalized refund information you must enter your Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), your filing status and exact whole-dollar refund amount shown on your tax return.

What the tool tells you

Once you enter your personal information, you could get several responses, including:

• Acknowledgement that your return was received and is in processing.

• The mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund.

• Notice that the IRS could not deliver your refund due to an incorrect address. In this instance, you may be able to change or correct your address online using Where's My Refund?

Customized info

The interactive tool Where's My Refund? also includes links to customized information based on your specific situation.

The links guide you through the steps to resolve any issues affecting your refund.

For example, if you do not get the refund within 28 days from the original IRS mailing date shown on Where's My Refund?, you may be able to start a refund trace.

Visually Impaired

The interactive tool Where's My Refund? is also accessible to visually impaired taxpayers who use the Job Access with Speech screen reader used with a Braille display and is compatible with different JAWS modes.