Refund status.
Tax payments and records.
Use the official IRS services below for federal refund tracking, payments, transcripts and local assistance.
Check Refund Status / Pay Tax Online
IRS Contact Information
Note: Please make sure to have a copy of your tax return handy while checking the refund status or making a payment online.
How long should you keep records?
Keep the documents that support income, deductions and credits until the legal retention period for that return has ended. For many individual returns, that means at least three years from the filing date.
Keep records longer when they may be relevant to an IRS review or to another provision of the Internal Revenue Code. A longer period may apply if a return was fraudulent or income was understated.
There is no required filing system. Choose a method that lets you and the IRS trace each amount on the return back to reliable supporting evidence.
Bank statements, receipts, invoices, sales slips and a well-maintained checkbook can help document income and expenses. Keep them together with the return they support.
Good practice
- Retain returns and supporting records for at least three years, unless a longer period applies.
- Keep evidence for reported income, deductions, credits and tax payments.
- Store W-2s and other employment records with the related return.
- Maintain proof for itemized deductions, such as receipts, cancelled checks and account statements.
- Organize records so a question can be answered without reconstructing the entire filing.
- If an expense cannot be supported, the related deduction may be challenged and additional tax may be due.