Track the status of your refund online

If you already filed your taxes and have a refund coming your way, the IRS has an online tool that allows you to check the status of your refund at any time. Where's My Refund? is available on the IRS website and eliminates the need to call the IRS to check on your refund status.

If you're in a hurry to get a refund back, your best option is e-filing with direct deposit of your refund. 9 out of 10 taxpayers will receive refunds in less than 21 days using this method. If you filed a paper copy of your return, the Where's My Refund? website will have your information available within four weeks after mailing your return.

In order to check the status of your return, you will need the following information:

• Your Social Security number,
• Your filing status (single, married filing joint return, married filing separate return, head of household, or qualifying widower),
• The exact refund amount shown on your return

Once you've obtained access to your information, you'll see the current status of your refund: either that your return was received and is in processing, the mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund, or a notice that the IRS could not deliver your refund due to an incorrect address. If this is the case, you'll have the opportunity to correct your address.

The website also gives you information and tools that may relate to a specific situation. For instance if you don't receive your refund within 28 days of the mailing date shown on the website, you can trace the refund online.

If you prefer to use your smartphone to track your refund, the new IRS2go application is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.