There are three status updates which the taxpayer might see: “received return,” “refund approved,” or “refund sent.” If the refund has been sent, it could be up to 5 days before the money shows up in your bank account or a few weeks before your check has been received.

While the Internal Revenue Service began accepting returns late last month, it still might be too early to expect a refund in your bank account. Luckily, you can track the status of your refund through the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund” tool.

More than 11 million tax returns have been processed by the Internal Revenue Service in 2025, and so far, this year’s average refund is 30% higher than the average refund sent out during the same time period in 2024,