Once a return has been e-filed, it cannot be retrieved or removed. If either the bank routing number or account number is incorrect on an e-filed return, the steps vary depending on the acceptance status.

• If it has not been accepted, contact the IRS. See IRS and Other Useful Contact Phone Numbers.

• If it has been accepted, and the destination bank:

  • rejects the direct deposit, the taxpayer will receive a check from the IRS.

  • accepts the direct deposit, the taxpayer should contact that bank to determine how to proceed to recover the deposit.

Notes:

• The correct routing and account numbers must be provided for the direct deposit to be accepted and correctly deposited to the taxpayer’s account. The IRS does not accept responsibility for lost refunds if the account information is incorrectly entered. Per the IRS:

"Refunds that are not Direct Deposited because of institutional refusal, erroneous account or routing transit numbers, closed accounts, bank mergers or any other reason are issued as paper checks, resulting in refund delays of up to ten weeks. While the IRS ordinarily processes a request for Direct Deposit, it reserves the right to issue a paper check and does not guarantee a specific date for deposit of the refund into the taxpayer’s account.

Treasury’s Financial Management Service (FMS) issues federal income tax refunds and offsets taxpayers’ refunds to pay off past-due child support or federal agency debts such as student loans. Neither the IRS nor FMS is responsible for the misapplication of a Direct Deposit that results from error, negligence or malfeasance on the part of the taxpayer, the Provider, financial institution or any of their agents."

Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers of Individual Income Tax Returns, page 13.

• If the taxpayer calls IRS regarding a refund before 21 days have passed, the taxpayer will be referred to "Where’s My Refund."

• Filing a superseded or amended return with corrected banking information will have no impact on how a refund from a previously filed Form 1040 return is processed. An original return is processed, and the refund issued, before an amended or superseded return is processed by the IRS.