Tax Season 2024: A Guide to Checking Your Refund Status After Filing Taxes

Tax Season 2024 refund status usually available within 24 hours after e-filing, but paper filing may take up to four weeks. IRS does not send refunds immediately.

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Tax Season 2024: The status of your refund is usually available within 24 hours after e-filing your tax return. If you file your tax return on paper, the process may take up to four weeks. The IRS does not send tax refunds immediately after receiving your tax return. You can choose when to check the status of your tax return and there is no ‘right time’.

For a status update on your tax return, you must have submitted your return electronically or by mail. The time it will take for you to receive a resolution will depend on how your return was submitted. Here are some guidelines:

Using an electronic filing method (e-filing)

If you have submitted your taxes electronically (e-filed), you can track the status of your refund within 24 hours. The IRS estimates that it will issue your refund after a 21-day waiting period.

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Tax Season 2024

Filing by mail

Applicants who file by mail will have a longer wait time for their refunds. You should be able to check your refund status within four weeks of mailing your paper return. Refund processing can take six to eight weeks.

Checking the refund status

Using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on the IRS website or the IRS2Go mobile app, you can receive real-time updates on the status of your return and the estimated return date.

Tarique Anwer

Tarique Anwer is a finance writer, editor, and digital publishing professional with a background in banking and financial services. Before entering the media industry, he worked at Bank of America in online fraud operations, gaining firsthand experience with banking systems, financial processes, and consumer financial services. Today, Tarique writes about personal finance, banking, retirement benefits, government programs, consumer technology, and business trends. His goal is to translate complex financial and technical topics into clear, practical guidance that helps readers navigate important decisions with confidence. With an MBA and more than a decade of experience in digital media, journalism, and content leadership, Tarique brings both industry knowledge and editorial expertise to his work.