I’m unable to check the status, and it’s supposed to come as a paper check.

[btskhn01]

It’s been over a month now; how can I check when it will arrive

[xmasbaby0]

Federal and state refunds come from completely separate entities.  There is no rule as to which one will come in first or how long it will be between their arrival in your account.

TurboTax gives you an estimated date for receiving your refund based on a 21 day average from your date of acceptance, but it can take longer.  “21 days”  is not a promise from TurboTax or the IRS. 

First, check your e-file status to see if your return was accepted: 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/efile-status-lookup/

Once your federal return has been accepted by the IRS, only the IRS has any control.  TurboTax does not receive any updates from the IRS. Your ONLY source of information about your refund now is the IRS.

You need your filing status, your Social Security number and the exact amount  (line 35a of your 2025 Form 1040) of your federal refund to track your Federal refund:   

https://www.irs.gov/refunds

To track your state refund:    

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/track-state-refund/L3jgO8PGs_...

If you chose to have your TurboTax fees deducted from your federal refund, that will take some extra time, while the third party bank handles the refund processing

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/refunds-take-longer-others/L1...

.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-refund/irs-refund-taking-longer-21-d...

If you are getting earned income credit on line 27 or additional child tax credit on line 28 You are subject to the delay required by the PATH act.  Do not expect your refund before early March

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/internal-revenue-service/federal-refunds...

Note:  “Accepted” is not the same as “approved”.  TurboTax tells you the e-file was accepted if the IRS deems that there is enough information on the return for them to take it in for processing.   Only the IRS can approve of the refund, which is a later stage of processing.  If the IRS approves your refund they will provide a date for the refund to be issued.

FROM THE IRS WHERE’S MY REFUND SITE:

https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund

How it works

Where's My Refund shows your refund status:

• Return Received – We received your return and are processing it.
• Refund Approved – We approved your refund and are preparing to issue it by the date shown.
• Refund Sent – We sent the refund to your bank or to you in the mail. It may take 5 days for it to show in your bank account or several weeks for your check to arrive in the mail.

[CesarJ]

Starting in September 2025, due to Executive Order 14247 issued on March 25, 2025, the IRS will stop issuing most paper checks for federal tax refunds. The order requires all federal government payments, including IRS tax refunds, to be processed electronically to improve efficiency and security.

This means that if you have access to US banking services or electronic payment systems, your federal tax refund will be sent via direct deposit or another electronic method. Paper checks will be issued only in very limited situations where no electronic alternative exists.

For checking your federal refund status, you generally need to use the IRS's online tools where you provide your Social Security number, filing status, and exact refund amount from your tax return.

If you provided a bank account and the IRS wasn't able to deposit your refund, you will receive IRS Notice CP53E. The CP53E is an official IRS request to correct your banking info to ensure your refund is deposited properly.