IRS: Use Refund Tracker Tools Once per Day

The IRS tax refund tracker tool has become so popular for people expecting a tax refund that the IRS has put out a notice asking taxpayers to limit their inquiries to no more than once per day.

As more returns come in, the IRS said it is experiencing high traffic on “Where’s My Refund?” at irs.gov. The large large traffic volume is expected to limit the availability of the tool on both the website and the refund feature on the IRS2go phone app.

IRS systems are only updated once per day - usually overnight - and the same information will be found whether taxpayers check the website, use their smartphone app, or call on the IRS toll-free line. The IRS said they are seeing a good start to the filing season and that nine out of ten taxpayers can expect to receive their refund within 21 days if they use e-file and direct deposit.

To make the process go smoothly, the IRS advises taxpayers who use any of their refund inquiry tools to have the necessary taxpayer information ready before starting - Social Security number, filing status and refund amount. And to avoid system delays due to high traffic, the agency recommends checking on refunds in the evenings and on weekends.

The IRS also anticipates an increase in the number of tax returns and refund inquiries around the President’s Day holiday week.


Source:
Internal Revenue Service