Once your return has been accepted (received) by the government, they take over the refund status update duties, since they hold the purse strings.Once the they begin to process your return, it can take up to 21 days to fully process and issue your refund. Many different factors can affect the timing of your refund after they receive your return.

Use the following information to follow the status of your return with the IRS.

Once they start processing your return, the Where's My Refund?  tool includes a tracker that displays progress through 3 stages: (1) Return Received, (2) Refund Approved, and (3) Refund Sent. It also provides an actual personalized refund date as soon as the IRS processes your tax return and approves your refund. It doesn't show information about amended returns.

In general there are delays this year and does not mean there is something wrong with your return. If there was something wrong, you will receive a letter in the mail from the IRS. Keep checking the IRS website and you will eventually see progress with your return.

Hope this helps!