Tax season is officially upon us. It’s time to get organized; file, ideally early; and, likely, collect your tax refund.
The season opened January 26 and the tax deadline is April 15. Tax experts always recommend filing early, which can help avoid headaches down the line and, if you have a return, get your money sooner.
“Filing earlier in the season allows you to get organized upfront, reduce the risk of errors, and avoid last-minute panic,” Courtney Alev, Intuit Credit Karma’s consumer financial advocate and head of tax product, tells ESSENCE. “If you are expecting a refund, filing early and choosing e-file with direct deposit is also the safest and fastest way to receive your money sooner, which can help with things like paying down debt or building savings.”
Below, everything you need to know about tracking your 2026 tax refund to make sure you get your money as quickly as possible.
How to track your 2026 tax refund
After filing your taxes and finding out you have a tax refund, it’s important to keep staying organized and track the status of the refund.
To see refund status, taxpayers have a couple options. Just 24 hours after e-filing or four days after filing via paper return, it’s possible to find the status. Either use the IRS website or the governmental agency’s mobile app, named IRS2Go. To access updates, three things are required: your Social Security number (or other tax ID), your filing status, and the exact return amount expected.
The tracker will show if the IRS received your return, if your refund is approved, or if your refund has been processed. Information on tax refund status is updated daily, every early morning. According to the IRS, refunds may take up to five days to show up in bank accounts. For those who opted to receive a check by mail, the wait time is longer, up to several weeks.
If your refund is delayed, contact the agency only if the refund status tracker suggests to do this. Only in special and infrequent cases — like if you filed on paper more than six months ago or if the refund tracker doesn’t show receiving your return — does the IRS suggest filing taxes twice.