Where's my tax refund? Here's how to check the status of your IRS or state return

The IRS issues most refunds within about three weeks. Here's why yours might be delayed.

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• If you file electronically, you can typically expect to get your federal tax refund within three weeks. 
• If you file a paper return, processing will take six to eight weeks after your return is received. 
• There's a portal on the IRS site where you can check the status of your refund. 
• See Personal Finance Insider's picks for the best tax software »

If the Internal Revenue Service owes you a tax refund, you're probably eager to get it in your hands as soon as possible. Here's what you need to know about how tax returns are accepted, processed (and sometimes delayed), and when you're most likely to get your refund.

Where's my federal tax refund? 

Here's what's going on when you submit your taxes to the IRS.  

What an accepted tax return means

When you e-file a tax return, the IRS completes a basic check of your information before accepting your return. Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor explains it like this:

"Accepting your tax return simply means that the IRS has looked at your name and Social Security number, and compared to make sure it hasn't already been filed this year. If it passes that check, your return is allowed in for processing. That's all 'accepted by the IRS' means. This process takes less than 24 hours, and usually happens within a few minutes." 

Farrington also notes that different tax software providers may have different processes for both batching and sending to the IRS, and notifying customers about when their returns are accepted.

What is the IRS actually doing with your return?

Once your tax return has been accepted, it goes into a queue for processing. 

"The best way to think about the IRS is a giant database, and processing your return is simply a series of checks of your data against the data it knows about you already," Farrington explains. "During this time it looks at all the information you submitted — such as your W2 income, child tax credits, and more — and looks at its records to see if the data matches. If everything looks good (or within a range of what it expects), your return is sent to be approved and then either payment or refund will be processed."

When to expect your IRS refund

About 90% of electronically filed tax returns are processed within 21 days. Paper returns are processed six to eight weeks after they arrive at the IRS. If you electronically file and provide bank account information to the IRS for direct deposit, you'll see your refund the quickest.

Why do paper returns take so long? 

Paper returns have to be input manually into the system for processing.

"Submitting a paper return circumvents the limited automation that the IRS has in place for cross-referencing returns with information received from third parties," says Richard Lavinia, chief executive officer and co-founder of Taxfyle.

"Paper returns require this information to be inputted by hand and then manually reviewed by an IRS agent."

What if my return is delayed?

If your return requires additional review, it may take longer than normal to receive your refund. Some circumstances that may delay your refund include:

• Missing information
• Errors
• A return affected by identity theft
• A return that includes Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, which could take as long as 14 weeks to process

How to check your refund status 

Tracking your IRS refund

The IRS has a tool where filers can check the status of their refund. You can find it here, or you can search "Where's My Tax Refund?" You can search it as early as 24 hours after filing electronically, or four weeks after you mailed your return. The information is updated daily. 

To get your refund status, you'll need to provide your:

• Social Security number 
• Filing status
• Exact refund amount

These are all found on the tax return you filed for the year. 

If it's been more than the allotted three weeks for electronically filed returns and six-to-eight weeks for paper filings, you may contact the IRS and representatives can research the status of your return.

Where's my state tax refund? 

Forty-one states levy an individual income tax, according to the Tax Foundation. The eight states that have no state income taxes are:

• Alaska
• Florida
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Washington
• Wyoming

Each state will have its own means of tracking the status of tax refunds. State tax refunds are processed separately from federal tax refunds and you will need to find your own state's information to check on the status. You can start by looking at the state revenue sites, which the IRS lists here.

The bottom line

Speedy tax refunds mean you can finally move forward with the plans you made for your money. For the quickest, most efficient tax refund, you'll want to file electronically and provide direct deposit information. There will be fewer errors on your return and it will be processed much faster. You may also want to talk to your tax professional if you need more guidance.