State refund status
Where’s my refund, New York? How to check your NY State tax refund
Check a New York State income tax refund with the Tax Department’s refund status tool, using your Social Security number and the refund amount in whole dollars from your return, or by calling 518-457-5149, an automated line open 24 hours. Be careful with the amount: after four tries that do not match, the tool locks you out for 24 hours.
How to check your New York refund
The tool cannot show amended returns or payments; for an amended return, call 518-457-5149.
- Online: Check your refund status at tax.ny.gov/pit/file/refund.htm.
- Enter your Social Security number and the refund you requested, in whole dollars: line 78 of Form IT-201, line 68 of IT-203, line 39 of IT-205 or line 20 of IT-214 for 2025.
- By phone: 518-457-5149, automated and available 24 hours a day. The department’s staff see the same information as the online tool.
What the New York refund status messages mean
| Status message | What it means |
|---|---|
| We have received your return and it is being processed | No further information is available yet. No action needed. |
| Your return requires further review | Your New York return may take longer than your federal return. |
| We sent you a letter requesting additional information | Expect the letter (usually Form DTF-948) within 2 weeks and answer it by the date shown. |
| Refund adjusted | You will get Form DTF-160 or DTF-161 explaining the change. |
| A direct deposit of your refund is scheduled to be issued on [date] | Allow 15 days after that date before calling your bank. |
How long a New York refund takes
For 2024 returns, the most recent data published, New York issued 61% of personal income tax refunds within 15 days and 95% within 30 days; 1% took more than 90 days. E-filing and direct deposit can get your refund up to two weeks sooner than a paper return with a paper check. Returns claiming credits that are attractive to fraud get extra review, and a credit claimed in error can add months. If your refund is not issued within 45 days of the due date or the date you filed, whichever is later, New York pays interest.
If a direct deposit is more than 15 days late, check the account number on your return: the Tax Department says a preparer’s temporary account (numbers with A, RAL or JH, or 12 or more digits) can be the reason. A failed deposit becomes a paper check, and a joint check needs both signatures.
Letters: DTF-948 requests for information
If the Tax Department needs more information, it mails Form DTF-948 or DTF-948-O. Answer by the date on the letter, preferably online through your Online Services account (“Respond to department notice”). After you respond, review usually takes up to 90 days, and up to 120 days in peak filing season. If someone filed a return in your name, send Form DTF-275 to the Identity Verification Unit.
Refund offsets
New York can apply your refund to New York or IRS tax debts, debts owed to state agencies such as SUNY, CUNY, the Department of Labor or OTDA, past-due child support, defaulted education loans, New York City tax warrant judgments and taxes owed to some other states. Form DTF-160 shows the amount and the agency to contact. For a New York tax debt, call 518-457-5434. A spouse who does not owe the debt can file Form IT-280.
STAR credits and the 2026 energy rebate check
STAR credit checks have their own lookups: use the STAR delivery schedule to see when mailing started in your area, and the Property Tax Credit Lookup to see whether yours was issued.
New York is mailing a one-time energy rebate check starting in the fall of 2026 to full-year residents who filed a 2024 IT-201 on time: $100 for single filers, heads of household and married filing separately with New York AGI up to $150,000, and $200 for joint filers up to $150,000 ($150 up to $300,000). It comes by mail only, is not taken for debts, and the call center has no status information on it. The earlier inflation refund checks were mailed in the fall of 2025.
New York refund held up?
USTAXX is a registered New York tax preparer. We prepare New York State, New York City and Yonkers returns, help you answer a DTF-948 letter, and file amended returns. Remotely through a secure portal, by phone or video.
Questions people ask
How long does a New York State tax refund take?
For 2024 returns, 61% of refunds were issued within 15 days and 95% within 30 days. E-filing with direct deposit is up to two weeks faster than paper.
Why is my New York refund locked?
After four tries with a Social Security number and refund amount that do not match, the tool locks you out for 24 hours. Use the whole-dollar refund amount from your New York return.
What is the New York refund phone number?
518-457-5149, an automated line available 24 hours a day.
What is Form DTF-948?
A request for information about your return. Answer by the date on the letter, ideally online; the review then usually takes up to 90 days.
Where these rules come from
- NY Tax Department: Check your refund status
- NY Tax Department: Understanding your refund status
- NY Tax Department: Personal income tax statistics
- NY Tax Department: Refund offsets
- NY Tax Department: Energy rebate check
- NY Tax Department: STAR check delivery schedule
General information, current when written, not advice about your situation. Fees and forms change; the official pages above are the authority.
