IR-2011-41, April 12, 2011 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers to use new mobile phone applications launched this filing season to check the status of their refunds and to get other tax information on the go. To date, there have been more than 250,000 downloads of the IRS2Go app. In late January, the IRS unveiled IRS2Go, its first smartphone application that lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information. The IRS2Go phone app gives people a convenient way of checking on their federal refund. It also gives people a quick way of obtaining easy-to-understand tax tips. Apple users can download the free IRS2Go application by visiting the Apple App Store. Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app. The mobile app, among a handful in the federal government, offers a number of safe and secure ways to help taxpayers. Get Your Refund Status Taxpayers can check the status of their federal refund through the new phone app with a few basic pieces of information. First, taxpayers enter their Social Security number, which is masked and encrypted for security purposes. Next, taxpayers pick the filing status they used on their tax return. Finally, taxpayers enter the amount of the refund they expect from their 2010 tax return. For people who e-file, the refund function of the phone app will work within about 72 hours after taxpayers receive an e-mail acknowledgement saying the IRS received their tax return. For people filing paper tax returns, longer processing times mean they will need to wait three to four weeks before they can check their refund status. About 70 percent of the 142 million individual tax returns filed were filed electronically last year, and that percentage is expected to rise this year. Get Tax Updates Phone app users enter their e-mail address to automatically get daily tax tips. Tax Tips are simple, straightforward tips and reminders to help with tax planning and preparation. Tax Tips are issued daily during the tax filing season and periodically during the rest of the year. The plain English updates cover topics such as free tax help, child tax credits, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits and other topics. Follow the IRS Taxpayers can sign up to follow the IRS Twitter news feed, @IRSnews. IRSnews provides the latest federal tax news and information for taxpayers. The IRSnews tweets provide easy-to-use information, including tax law changes and important IRS programs. IRS2Go is the latest IRS effort to provide information to taxpayers beyond traditional channels. The IRS also uses tools such as YouTube and Twitter to share the latest information on tax changes, initiatives, products and services through social media channels. Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
