Despite how antiquated some of our tax laws seem to be, the IRS itself has truly embraced the internet and provided a great tool for you to check the status of your refund. You can use this tool to track your return 72 hours after you’ve e-filed (which is a good reason to e-file!) or three to four weeks if you filed a paper return. Unfortunately, if you amended your return, you will not be able to use this system.

It’s very easy to check the status of your tax refund online, collect these three pieces of information:

• Your social security number (if filed jointly, either social security number will work)
• Your filing status
• Your refund amount, to the whole dollar amount

Then, visit this Refund Status page (Spanish version), enter your information, and you will be provided the status of your refund.

Even if you don’t care when your refund will arrive, check anyway because this is one of the few times you will be able to get an answer from a government agency in under 5 hours of waiting.

Jim writes about personal finance at Bargaineering.com.

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