IRS Transcript & Where’s My Refund Update Schedules

If you’re eagerly tracking your tax refund, understanding how and when the IRS updates your account can help ease some of the stress. The IRS follows a structured update schedule for both daily and weekly processing accounts, which impacts when tax transcripts and the Where’s My Refund? (WMR) tool reflect changes. Here’s a breakdown of how it works.

IRS Update Schedule: Daily vs. Weekly Accounts

The IRS processes tax returns in two different cycles:

🔹 Daily Accounts – Processed Monday through Friday
🔹 Weekly Accounts – Processed once per week, typically on Thursdays

When Do Transcripts Update?

• Daily Accounts: Tax transcripts update on Tuesdays.
• Weekly Accounts: Tax transcripts update on Fridays.

When Does Where’s My Refund? (WMR) Update?

• Daily Accounts: WMR reflects updates on Wednesdays, following the Tuesday transcript updates.
• Weekly Accounts: WMR updates on Saturdays, following the Friday transcript updates.

How Holidays Impact Updates

If a federal holiday falls during the processing week, the IRS may push back updates by a day:
✅ Daily Accounts: Transcript updates shift to Wednesdays, and WMR updates move to Thursdays.
✅ Weekly Accounts: The typical Friday/Saturday schedule remains unchanged.

What This Means for Taxpayers

If you’re checking your transcripts and WMR for refund status updates, timing is key:

• If you’re in a daily processing cycle, expect updates midweek.
• If you’re in a weekly processing cycle, check your transcripts on Fridays and WMR on Saturdays.

Knowing these schedules can help you track your refund more efficiently and reduce unnecessary stress.