CP53E notice: how to add bank details and release your refund

What is a CP53E notice?

A CP53E notice is an IRS letter saying you have a refund coming but the IRS cannot pay it electronically with the bank details it has. The refund is not denied or reduced. It is paused until you give the IRS a working account or qualify for a paper check.

The CP53E exists because of Executive Order 14247 (March 25, 2025), which moves federal payments from paper checks to electronic payments. The IRS began phasing out paper refund checks for individuals on September 30, 2025, and the CP53E is the letter it uses when an electronic payment cannot go through.

Why did I get a CP53E letter from the IRS?

The IRS lists a few triggers on its CP53E page. Each one ends at the same place: a refund with nowhere electronic to go.

If the rejection came from a closed account, refund sent to a closed bank account explains what the bank did with the money before the notice was sent.

How do I add my bank account for a CP53E?

You respond to a CP53E only through your IRS Individual Online Account. The IRS says its employees cannot add or change bank information, so calling will not speed this up.

1. Go to IRS.gov by typing the address yourself, then sign in to your Individual Online Account or create one.
2. On Account Home, open Notifications.
3. Select the notification titled Add bank account.
4. Follow the prompts to enter the routing number and account number for your account.
5. Review every digit, then submit. You get one chance to add or update the account this way.
6. Wait 2 to 5 business days for your refund status to update, then check Where's My Refund.

More on the account screens is on update bank info in your IRS online account.

The paper check exception

The same online account lets you ask for a paper check instead, but only under limited exceptions. The IRS questions and answers on Executive Order 14247 describe them as hardship, legal or procedural requirements, and cases where no electronic option exists.

If you do not have a bank account, the IRS points to two electronic alternatives before a paper check: prepaid debit cards and mobile payment apps that provide routing and account numbers. The refund without a bank account page compares them.

What happens if I ignore CP53E?

Nothing is lost, but you wait longer. If you do not respond within 30 days, the IRS issues a paper check after 6 weeks, according to its CP53E page. The check goes to the address on file, so an out-of-date address can turn a slow refund into a missing one.

If the check then fails to arrive, the tax refund not received page explains when and how to start a trace.

Is a CP53E a scam?

The CP53E is a real IRS notice, but scammers copy real notices. The safe approach is to never use a link, QR code or phone number from a letter, email or text to enter bank details. Type IRS.gov into your browser yourself and sign in to your online account; a genuine CP53E will appear there as an Add bank account notification.

• The IRS tells people responding to a CP53E to confirm the site shows a lock icon or https:// and that .gov appears in the address.
• The real process runs only through your IRS online account, since IRS staff cannot take bank details by phone.
• A message asking you to read your bank numbers to a caller, or to enter them on a site that is not IRS.gov, does not match the CP53E process.

CP53E versus CP53, and special situations

The two notices sound alike but ask for opposite things. A CP53E asks you to act. A CP53 says the IRS could not deposit your refund and is already mailing a check, which should arrive within 4 weeks of the notice date; see the CP53 notice page.

If the CP53E is addressed to someone who has died, the refund belongs to the estate or surviving spouse and follows a separate claims process; start with refunds for a deceased taxpayer.