Hello and welcome to the IRS How-to Series.

Today, I'd like to show you how to track your tax refund.

If you’re still watching your mailbox or bank account for that refund, there’s an easy way to find out where it is. The IRS has an online tool called Where's My Refund? And, that just happens to be the most common question we’re asked by taxpayers.

Here’s all you need for the application: Your tax return.

Okay, let's go to the IRS homepage at www.irs.gov.

The Where's My Refund? Program is often featured on the home page. You can find it under either Online Services or Filing and Payments. Click on one of these links to go to the Where's My Refund page.

One caveat here: If you filed electronically, we need 72 hours before we can post any information about your refund. And, if you filed a paper return, we’re going to need three or four weeks.

Okay, get your tax return handy, because you’re going to need some information.

You need your Social Security Number. You need your filing status. Did you file as
single, head of household or married filing jointly, for example?  And you’re going to
need the exact, whole dollar amount of your refund.

And, click submit.

This tool can provide you with several answers, and I'm going to show you a few of them.

It can give you an estimated date for direct deposit into your bank account or other
financial account, or an estimated date when your paper check will be mailed.
It also can tell you if a deposit has been made. And, if you have not received that
deposit, what steps to take to report it missing.

It can tell you that there's been a delay in processing your return or if we found a math error.

It can even tell you if we sent your refund but the Post Office was unable to deliver it. If your refund was returned to us as undeliverable, this application also can help by letting you update your address and telephone number.

To do that, you're going to need an additional piece of information off your tax return. You're going to need your adjusted gross income. And, the line for that depends on the form you used. You can find your AGI on Line 37 of your Form 1040; Line 4 on Form 1040EZ or Line 21 on Form 1040A. Just type in the appropriate information and click submit

It will take you to a change of address page. Once you update your address, we can resend your refund and you should receive if fairly quickly.

One way to avoid an undelivered refund is to use direct deposit. Direct deposit is the fastest, safest way to get your refund. If you file electronically and use direct deposit, you can get your refund in as few as 10 days.

So next time you have a question about your refund, check out Where's My Refund. It’s available on IRS.gov around the clock. I hope this was helpful and thanks for watching.