Where’s My Refund? Check your 2024 income tax refund status

The IRS announced on Friday that the 2025 tax season will officially begin on Jan. 27, with over 140 million tax returns expected by the April 15 deadline.

The announcement corresponds with a substantial agency overhaul, funded by tens of billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022, to improve technology and customer service.

Can you file your taxes for free?

By the numbers:

The IRS is growing its Direct File program, which allows people to file taxes directly with the agency for free. Starting Jan. 27, the program will be available in 25 states, up from 12 in last year’s pilot. This program allows taxpayers to compute and submit their returns without using commercial tax preparation software.

In the 2024 pilot, taxpayers in selected states with simple W-2s used the program to claim more than $90 million in refunds, according to an October IRS report.

How can you check your 2024 income tax refund status?

What we know:

The IRS expects to issue most refunds within 21 days and advises taxpayers to use the "Where’s My Refund?" tool to check their 2024 income tax refund status within 24 hours of e-filing. For paper returns, refund information is typically available after four weeks.

The agency aims to maintain past service levels, including wait times of less than five minutes for assistance. Additionally, the IRS plans to extend office hours by 10,000 and expand its rural outreach program by 20%, increasing the number of prepared returns. Efforts to simplify notifications for better understanding will also continue.

Tax scam warning signs from the IRS

Big picture view:

The IRS also advises filers to guard against tax scams. Filers can visit IRS.gov and search "scams" for the latest information.

A big payday - If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Bad tax advice on social media may convince you to lie on tax forms or mislead you about credits you can claim.

Demands or threats - Impersonators want you to pay "now or else." They threaten arrest or deportation. They don’t let you question or appeal the amount of tax you owe.

Website links - Odd or misspelled web links can take you to harmful sites instead of IRS.gov.

Some common tax scams:

Charity impersonators

COVID-19 pandemic schemes

Credits and refunds misinformation

Disaster fraud

Dishonest tax preparers

Email and text message impersonators

Seniors targeted

Social media bad tax advice and scams

Tax debt settlement or relief services

Unclaimed tax refund

Unemployment claims identity theft

Unexpected tax bill

W-2 Form fraud

The Source: Information in this article comes from the Internal Revenue Service.

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