You don’t need to call and wait on the telephone. The fastest and best way to check the status of your refund is through the “Where’s My Refund” tool on IRS.gov and the IRS2Go smartphone app. Generally, information about refund status is available about three days after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return, or four weeks after you mailed a paper return. The IRS works hard to issue refunds as quickly as possible. But the IRS cautions taxpayers not to tie major financial decisions to the receipt of their tax refund by a specific date.