My tax refund says deposited but not in account

Q: Why does it say my refund was deposited?

shows Refund Sent”, the IRS has sent your tax refund to your financial institution for direct deposit. It can take 1 to 5 days for your financial institution to deposit funds into your account.

I filed my individual income tax electronically and selected to have my refund deposited directly into my bank account. It has been over 45 days and the money has not been credited. What should I do?

You should review your tax return copy and determine if the bank routing number and account number were entered correctly when you filed your return electronically and based on that information, proceed as follows:

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I filed my individual income tax electronically and selected to have my refund deposited directly into my bank account. It has been over 45 days and the money has not been credited. What should I do?
Tax Refund Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for Information About Your Tax Refund?
How long does it take for IRS refund to show in bank account?
How long after refund is sent is it deposited?
Why does it say my refund was deposited?

If you entered your bank routing and bank account number incorrectly and the incorrect numbers matched another valid bank and account number, the refund was deposited into that account.
To correct this error, you must work directly with the financial institution to recover your funds. The Federal Reserve Electronic Funds Transfer Act (Regulation E) and the National Automated Clearing House Association guidelines do not allow us to change the bank routing or account numbers that you submitted. To resolve the problem, contact the Customer Service Division at (855) 307-3893 or send an email to to obtain documentation of bank name, routing number, account number, refund amount, deposit date, and confirmation number of the electronic deposit. Using this information, your bank will correct the error. If refund was deposited into a bank that is not your personal bank, your bank will assist you and provide contact information for the other financial institution.
If the incorrect numbers did not match another valid bank and account, the refund will be rejected and your refund will be mailed to you at your home address.

If you applied for and received a Refund Anticipation Loan from your tax preparer at the time your tax return was filed, your refund was deposited into the bank account of the financial institution that granted you a refund-anticipation loan according to your loan agreement. If you have questions about the refund deposit, you must contact your tax preparer or the lender.
You entered the correct bank routing and account number, but did not receive a refund deposit.
1. Your refund may have been garnished for other state tax liabilities, federal income tax liabilities, child support debts, or other debts. If your refund was garnished, you will be notified within 60 days of the tax return’s processing.
2. Your refund may have been correctly deposited, but you have overlooked it. Electronic deposits are usually posted within a few days of the electronic filing. If you still cannot identify the refund deposit, contact your bank to have the deposit researched. If needed, we can send you a copy of the deposit details and the confirmation number, which confirms that your bank received and accepted the deposit. Contact the Customer Service Division at (855) 307-3893 or by email at .

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For security reasons, we cannot modify the routing number, account number, or the type of account from what was entered when you filed your return. If the account is closed, the bank will reject the refund. Once we receive the refund back from the bank, the Comptroller's Office will issue a paper check and mail it to you.

Tax Refund Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Deposit is a safe, reliable, and convenient way to receive Federal payments. The Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service and the Internal Revenue Service both encourage direct deposit of IRS tax refunds. Direct Deposit combined with IRS e-file provides taxpayers with the fastest and safest way to receive refunds.

This resource page of frequently asked questions about IRS tax refunds provides financial institutions with useful information for reference while assisting customers during the tax filing season.

For other FAQs about Direct Deposit, download the Direct Deposit FAQs.

Looking for Information About Your Tax Refund?

E-file and sign up for Direct Deposit to receive your refund faster, safer, and easier! You can check the status of your refund using IRS’ Where’s My Refund?

Not using e-file? You can still get all the benefits of Direct Deposit by getting your tax refund deposited into your account. Simply provide your banking information to the IRS at the time you are submitting your taxes.

Convenience, reliability and security. No more special trips to your institution to deposit your check — a nice feature if you are busy, ill, away from home, located far from a branch or in a place where parking is hard to find. You no longer need to wait for your check to arrive in the mail. Your money will always be in your account on time. If you move without changing financial institutions, you will not have to wait for your check to catch up with you. You do not have to worry about lost, stolen or misplaced checks.

Last modified 08/25/22

How long does it take for IRS refund to show in bank account?

(updated July 7, 2022) We issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. However, if you filed on paper and are expecting a refund, it could take six months or more to process your return.

How long after refund is sent is it deposited?

If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.

Why does it say my refund was deposited?

shows “Refund Sent”, the IRS has sent your tax refund to your financial institution for direct deposit. It can take 1 to 5 days for your financial institution to deposit funds into your account.