The IRS Site Crashed, But Here's How You Can Find Out If Your Taxes Went Through

If you live in the U.S. and planned on filing your taxes, you probably know by now about the Internal Revenue Service website crash on Tax Day. The malfunction took place on early Tuesday, and it affects people who didn't file their taxes before Tuesday, April 17. As the agency investigates the glitch, some might be curious about whether their taxes went through after the IRS site crashed. It's a fair question, and there are several ways to find out.

Update: The IRS website resumed functioning as normal on Tuesday evening. The agency announced that it would extend its tax deadline by one day because of the site crash, 'The Washington Post' reported.

Earlier: If you filed your taxes prior to the website going down, you’re probably wondering if your payment went through. You can find the status of your payment out by picking up your phone and dialing a few digits. You can do this by contacting the toll-free IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954. You can ask about the status of your payment as well as whether you're due for a refund by speaking with a representative.

Another number to check out is the IRS TeleTax system at 800-829-4477. The hotline operates on a 24/7 basis and can answer questions about your taxes, payment status, and whether (or not) you're eligible for a refund. Before you call, however, make sure that you're ready to field some questions.

Before you're patched to a representative, the hotline has to verify if your identity and grab relevant information on you. Be sure to have your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number as well as your filing status ready.

There's another point as far as finding out whether you're owed a refund. When you call the aforementioned numbers, be it the IRS Refund Hotline or IRS TeleTax system, keep your tax return nearby. Representatives may ask for the exact figure of your amount so that they can check the number on their own end. If you think you can't keep all of this number ready in your mind, jot them down on a piece of paper before you call.

You can also check the status of a payment by checking the IRS app called IRS2Go. The app is available to both iOS and Android users and can offer information about refund and other tax-related questions. To make things easier for yourself, give the required information to the app and then hit save. This will expedite the process for the future since you won't have to populate the information fields all over again.

Additionally, give yourself some time before your check your payment statement. It's recommended to check within 24 hours of filing your taxes. By this time, you will have updated information from IRS about whether or not your payment went through. This applies to people who paid electronically. If you filed your payment through mail, you have to wait about four weeks to find out information about your payment status.

Plus, don't lose hope if you have to wait for a representative in case you decide to call the numbers shared above. Given that the IRS website crashed, there is a likelihood that thousands of Americans are running to the hotlines to find out what will happen to their payments. You might want to grab a seat while you wait for a representative to get to you.

Above all, if you're wondering why the IRS website went down on Tax Day, you might not learn the exact reason. According to The Washington Post, the agency's acting commissioner David Kautter said that the error was "probably" due to an internal error but he added that he wasn't sure. While the agency is figuring out what crashed its page, American taxpayers have been advised to file their payments through other options.