How to Check Your State Tax Refund Status – Fast & Easy Guide!

Each year during tax season, millions of Americans wait for their state tax refund. While the IRS provides a centralized system for checking the status of federal tax refunds, each state uses its own system.

How fast you get your state tax refund back depends. It varies based on the state you live in, if you filed online or with paper, and how swamped the state is with returns. Some states send refunds super fast, like within days. Others can take weeks, or even months.

Also, just so you know, nine states don’t have a state income tax. If you live in one of those, you won’t be getting a state refund. Here’s how to see where your refund is at and what could be holding it up.

How to check on your state tax refund

Every state has a way to check your refund status online. What you need to enter can be different depending on the state, but you’ll probably need these:

Your Social Security number (SSN)
Your ZIP code
The amount you expect back
How you filed (single, married, etc.)

For instance, in California, they want your Social Security number, ZIP code, refund amount, and part of your address. But Missouri only asks for your Social Security number, filing status, and the estimated refund amount.

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Estimated State Tax Refund Processing Time

Below is a list of the estimated time it takes to receive a refund in some major states:

State	How to Check Refund Status	Estimated Processing Time
Alabama	My Alabama Taxes	8-10 weeks
Arizona	Where’s My Refund?	Up to 10 days
California	Where’s My Refund?	3 weeks (e-file) / 3 months (paper)
Georgia	Check my Refund Status	Up to 6 weeks
Indiana	DOR: Check Refund Status	3 weeks (e-file), 12 weeks (paper)
Louisiana	LaTAP	4-8 weeks
Maryland	Maryland Taxes	30 days
New Mexico	Where Is My Refund?	6-8 weeks
North Carolina	Refund Inquiry Selection	3-6 weeks
Virginia	Individual Online Account	4-8 weeks

If your state is not on the list, you can find the information by visiting its official tax website.

These 9 states do not give state tax refund

If you live in the following states, you will not get a state tax refund because there is no state income tax:

Alaska
Florida
Nevada
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming
New Hampshire (Only some dividends and interest income is taxed.)

What to do to get a refund quickly?

Some measures can be taken to speed up the process of state tax refund:

✅ Do electronic filing (E-Filing): E-filing is faster than paper filing.
✅ Choose direct deposit: Direct deposit to a bank account gives a faster refund than a check sent by mail.
✅ Fill in the information correctly: If your information is incorrect, there may be a delay in processing.

When will you get a Federal Tax Refund?

At the federal level, the IRS processes most tax refunds within 21 days if you use e-filing and direct deposit.

Keep in mind if you mailed in a paper return, waiting stinks, because refunds can take 6-8 weeks to show up.

Did you know a Credit Karma report from 2025 says:

A huge 37% of people count on their tax refund to cover important stuff.
And for millennials (people in their mid-20s to 40), that number jumps to fully 50%!

Want a bigger tax refund? Here’s how:

Pick the correct filing status – Getting this wrong could mean a smaller refund.
Use tax write-offs – Lots of these can lower what you owe.
Claim credits – Things like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) can bump up your refund.
Contribute to an IRA – Putting money into an IRA can lower your taxes.

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Conclusion

To sum it up, how long it takes to get a state tax refund changes depending on where you live. If you want your money back quickly, file online, use direct deposit, and double-check that all your info is correct.

Plus, if you’re counting on that refund, be careful when you file both your federal and state taxes. Remember to look into any deductions or credits you might qualify for!