Where's my refund VA: tracking a Virginia income tax refund

Where's my refund VA: where to check a Virginia refund

Check a Virginia refund with the Where's my Refund tool on tax.virginia.gov, or through the department's automated refund phone system. Both run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and Virginia Tax says they hold the same information its customer service staff can see.

Once processing is finished, the tool shows the date your refund was sent. Before that, it shows which stage the return has reached. Virginia's tool covers only the state refund; the federal one is tracked with the IRS, as our IRS refund status check guide explains.

What do you need for the Virginia refund tracker?

The Virginia refund tracker asks for three things: your Social Security number, the tax year of the return, and the refund you expect, rounded to the nearest dollar. Take the refund from your Virginia return (Form 760 for residents, 760PY for part-year residents or 763 for nonresidents), not from your federal return.

The tax-year field matters if you filed a late or prior-year Virginia return in the same season. Choosing the current year when you are waiting on an older return will return no match even when every other entry is right.

How long does a Virginia refund take?

During filing season, Virginia Tax quotes up to 4 weeks for an e-filed return and up to 10 weeks for a paper return. A return sent by certified mail needs another 3 weeks, because post office handling of certified mail adds time before the department can open it.

The timelines for the 2027 season, covering tax year 2026 returns, are not yet announced; recheck the Virginia Tax refund page when the 2027 filing season opens. Individual returns can take longer than the posted times if they are selected for review or need correction.

Certified mail and paper returns: why they are slower in Virginia

A paper Virginia return can take up to 10 weeks, and certified mail pushes the outer limit to about 13 weeks. Certified mail gives you proof of mailing, but it does not speed processing; for a refund return, e-filing gives both a timestamped acknowledgment and the shorter 4-week window.

Worked example: paper return by certified mail

Suppose you mail a Form 760 by certified mail on March 2. The posted window is up to 10 weeks plus 3 for certified mail, which points to about June 1 before a delay is unusual. If the refund is then reduced for a debt, it will be mailed as a paper check, adding postal time on top.

What Virginia Tax suggests to avoid delays

• File early and file electronically.
• Include your Virginia driver's license or Virginia ID card number and its issue date on the return, which Virginia Tax uses to help confirm identity.
• Double-check the routing and account numbers; if the bank cannot process the deposit, a check follows, which may take about 2 more weeks.
• Do not use a routing number for a bank outside the United States; international deposits are not allowed.

Why is my Virginia refund delayed? Verification letters

A delayed Virginia refund is commonly held by the Refund Review Team, which manually reviews returns flagged by an automated fraud screen and may mail a letter asking for more information. Virginia Tax stresses that such a letter does not mean you did anything wrong. Processing continues once you respond.

• Letters with an online option: AUIN073A, AUIN073M, AUIN273A, AUIN373A, AUIN473A and AUIN573A. The number is printed in the bottom left corner.
• Titles Virginia Tax gives as examples: Refund Verification Needed, Refund Verification, and Did you file a Virginia income tax return?
• Other routes: any of these can also be answered by mail or fax by returning the letter with the requested information.

To respond online you need your SSN or ITIN, the Correspondence ID printed on the letter, and the tax year it refers to. Virginia Tax calls online response the fastest way to receive the refund. A letter without an online option must be answered by following its own instructions.

Why did I get a Virginia refund check instead of direct deposit?

Virginia must mail a paper check whenever your refund is reduced or adjusted, even if you asked for direct deposit. Virginia Tax says it cannot issue reduced refunds by direct deposit. A check also goes out when the bank details were wrong, the account was closed, or the routing number belongs to a bank outside the United States.

Refunds are reduced for two main reasons. If you owe past Virginia tax, the department applies the refund to those bills and sends a letter listing them. If you owe a Virginia locality, a court, another state agency, the IRS or certain federal agencies, the refund goes toward that debt and the letter names the claiming agency; Virginia Tax has no details about those debts, so disputes go to the agency. Our page on tax refund offsets explains the federal equivalent.

Amended Virginia returns and when to contact Virginia Tax

Virginia can refund an amended return only if it is filed within set windows, the main one being 3 years from the original due date including valid extensions. Other windows allow 1 year from the final determination of a federal or other-state change, limited to the Virginia tax decrease from that change. If the IRS changes your federal return, you must amend your Virginia return within one year of the final determination.

Contact Virginia Tax customer service if the posted window has passed, if you have questions about an adjustment letter, or if you believe your own Virginia tax bill was offset in error. For an outside agency's claim, call that agency. Neighboring guides cover the North Carolina refund tracker and the New Jersey refund tracker, and the state tax refund status hub lists the rest.