What Get My Payment Does and Who Should Use It

Get My Payment is an IRS tool that shows you the status of a payment the agency has sent to you — usually a tax refund, stimulus payment, or advance Child Tax Credit payment. It tells you whether the IRS has processed your payment, when it was sent, and how it was sent (direct deposit to your bank account or a check by mail). It does not let you request a payment or change how you receive one after the IRS has already processed it.

You should use Get My Payment if you filed a tax return or received a notice from the IRS saying a payment was coming, and you want to know where that payment is now. The tool works best when you already know roughly when the IRS should have sent the payment — for instance, you filed your 2023 return in February and expected a refund by April, but it has not arrived.

Get My Payment is not useful if you have not yet filed a return, if you are trying to change your bank account information before the IRS sends a payment, or if you want to dispute whether you are owed a payment at all. For those situations, you will need to file your return, contact the IRS directly, or work with a tax professional.

Key Takeaways

  • Get My Payment shows the current status of a payment the IRS has already sent or is about to send, including the payment date and delivery method.
  • You will need your Social Security number, date of birth, and street address to log in, and the information must match what the IRS has on file.
  • The tool updates once per day, usually overnight, so checking multiple times in one day will show the same status.
  • If Get My Payment says your payment was sent but you have not received it, the next step depends on the delivery method — direct deposit takes three to five business days, and checks take up to two weeks by mail.
  • If your payment status does not change for more than two weeks after the stated send date, or if Get My Payment will not let you log in, you will need to contact the IRS by phone or mail.

How to Access Get My Payment and What Information You Need

Get My Payment is available on the IRS website at irs.gov. You do not need to create an account or read software. Go to the Get My Payment page, and you will see a login screen that asks for three pieces of information: your Social Security number, your date of birth, and your street address as it appears on your most recent tax return or IRS notice.

The address must match exactly what the IRS has in its system. If you moved recently and updated your address with the post office but not with the IRS, Get My Payment may not recognize you. If that happens, you have two options: file an amended return with your current address using Form 1040-X, or call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to update your address before trying Get My Payment again.

Get My Payment does not work with a username and password. Each time you visit, you log in with your Social Security number, date of birth, and address. The IRS uses this information to pull up your account and show you the status of your most recent payment.

What the Payment Status Messages Mean

Get My Payment displays one of several status messages. "Payment Status Not Available" means the IRS does not have a record of a payment for you yet. This is normal if you recently filed your return or if the IRS is still processing it. Check back in a few days. If you filed weeks ago and still see this message, your return may not have been processed, or there may be an error on your return that the IRS is reviewing.

"Payment Scheduled" means the IRS has processed your return and determined you are owed a payment, and the payment is queued to be sent on a specific date. Get My Payment will show that date. The payment has not left the IRS yet, so you cannot receive it before that date. If you see this status, do not contact the IRS — the payment is on track.

"Payment Sent" is the status you want to see. It means the IRS has released the payment to your bank (if direct deposit) or to the U.S. Postal Service (if by check). The tool will show the date the payment was sent and the method. From this point, timing depends on how the payment was sent. Direct deposit usually arrives within three to five business days. Checks typically arrive within two weeks, though mail delays can extend that.

"Payment Received" appears only in rare cases and means the IRS has confirmation that your bank received and posted the payment. Most banks do not send this confirmation to the IRS, so you will usually see "Payment Sent" and then the money will straightforward appear in your account.

What to Do If Your Payment Status Does Not Change

If Get My Payment shows "Payment Sent" but you have not received the money after the expected timeframe has passed, the first step is to check your bank account carefully. Search your transaction history for any deposits from "IRS" or "USATREAS" (the abbreviation the IRS uses on bank statements). Look back at least two weeks. If you find the deposit, the payment has arrived and the status in Get My Payment is straightforward outdated.

If you do not find the deposit and direct deposit was the method, log into your bank's website or call the bank directly. Ask whether a deposit from the IRS is pending or whether there were any rejected deposits in the past two weeks. Banks sometimes reject IRS deposits if the account number or routing number on file is wrong, or if the account has been closed. If the bank rejected the deposit, the IRS will eventually resend it by check, but this can take several weeks.

If the payment was sent by check and you have not received it after two weeks, check your mailbox and ask neighbors whether mail has been misdelivered. If you are certain the check did not arrive, you can request a replacement check from the IRS. Call 800-829-1040 and tell them your payment status. They will verify your identity and either resend the check or issue a payment in another form.

Why Get My Payment Sometimes Will Not Let You Log In

Get My Payment occasionally blocks login attempts as a security measure. If you see a message saying you cannot access the tool right now, it usually means one of three things: the IRS system is temporarily down for maintenance, your information did not match what is on file, or you have tried to log in too many times in a short period.

If your information did not match, double-check the spelling of your street address, the format of your date of birth, and your Social Security number. Common mistakes include abbreviating "Street" as "St" when the IRS has it spelled out, or including an apartment number when the IRS does not have one on file. Try again with the exact address from your most recent tax return or IRS letter.

If you tried to log in many times and now the tool is blocking you, wait at least 24 hours before trying again. Get My Payment has rate-limiting to prevent unauthorized access attempts. After a day, you should be able to log in again.

When to Contact the IRS Instead of Using Get My Payment

Get My Payment is designed to answer one question: where is my payment? It cannot answer other questions about your account. If you need to know why you did not receive the full refund you expected, whether you owe taxes, or whether the IRS received your return, you will need to contact the IRS directly.

Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. your local time). Have your Social Security number, date of birth, and a copy of your tax return ready. Wait times are often long, especially during tax season (January through April), so call early in the day if you can. You can also mail a written inquiry to the IRS, though responses by mail take several weeks.

If your payment status in Get My Payment has not changed for more than two weeks after the stated send date, or if you cannot log in after waiting 24 hours, contact the IRS. Bring the payment status information from Get My Payment (the date it says the payment was sent and the method) so the IRS representative can investigate what happened.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Get My Payment to check on a payment someone else received, like my spouse or child?

No. Get My Payment only works with the Social Security number you use to log in. If you are married and filed jointly, you can check the status of your joint refund using either spouse's Social Security number, but you cannot check your spouse's individual payments or your child's payments. Each person must log in with their own Social Security number.

How often does Get My Payment update, and should I check it multiple times a day?

Get My Payment updates once per day, usually overnight. Checking it multiple times in one day will show you the same status. If you are waiting for a payment, checking once per day is enough. There is no benefit to refreshing the page repeatedly.

What if Get My Payment says my payment was sent to a bank account I no longer use?

Contact your current bank and ask them to look for a deposit from the IRS in the past two weeks. If they find it, ask them to transfer it to your current account. If they do not find it, the deposit may have been rejected. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and explain the situation. They can issue a replacement payment by check or to a different account if you provide updated banking information.

Can I change my payment method in Get My Payment if I want a check instead of direct deposit?

No. Get My Payment only shows the status of payments already in process. You cannot change the delivery method through the tool. If you want to change how future payments are sent, you will need to update your banking information on your next tax return or contact the IRS directly before the payment is processed.

Is Get My Payment the same as the IRS mobile app?

Get My Payment is a web tool you access through irs.gov. The IRS also has a mobile app called the IRS2Go app, which includes Get My Payment as one of its features. Both show the same payment status information. Use whichever is more convenient for you.