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The replacement keeps key services available without signing in, including refund-status checks, certain payments and finding free filing help. Secure sign-in adds selected Individual Online Account features, such as payment activity, notices and available tax records. It is not a complete replacement for IRS.gov or every feature in an online account.
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Is IRS2Go still available?
Not as a separate current product. The IRS says the new IRS app replaced IRS2Go in September 2026. Existing users should let their phone update the app normally. If updates are manual, open your device’s official app store, search for the IRS app and choose Update. You should not need to install a second app solely because the name changed.
Use the IRS’s verified app page rather than an advertisement, a search-result download button or an unsolicited message. The official page is labeled “Download the IRS app (formerly IRS2Go)” and links to the current store listings.
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“Existing services, including checking refund status, making certain payments, and finding free filing help, will remain available without signing in.”
Internal Revenue Service, “IRS2Go to IRS app — Frequently asked questions”
The transition does not mean every IRS task moved into the app. The IRS describes the app as an extension of selected Individual Online Account features. Business Tax Account and Tax Pro Account features, and some Individual Online Account functions, still require the appropriate IRS.gov experience.
Which IRS task should you use the app for?
| Task | Sign-in needed? | What the IRS app provides |
|---|---|---|
| Check a refund | No | Refund status using identifying details from the return |
| Make certain payments | No for eligible payment services; sign-in may be required for account-specific options | Payment options vary by payment type and current IRS availability |
| Pay a balance or schedule a payment | Secure sign-in can be used for account services | Signed-in users can pay a balance or schedule a payment when the feature applies |
| Review payment activity | Yes | Payment history and related account information |
| Retrieve tax records and transcripts | Yes | Access and download available transcripts and information-return documents |
| Find free filing or volunteer help | No | Links or information for available free filing assistance |
Do not treat these as one combined tracker. Refund status tells you what is happening with a return; payment history records payments; account services contain your broader tax information.
How do I check my IRS refund?
You can check refund status without signing in. Have the following information exactly as it appears on the return:
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- Your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
- Your filing status, such as single, married filing jointly or head of household
- The tax year you are checking
- The exact refund amount shown on the return
- Open the current IRS app, or use the refund-status service from the IRS website.
- Choose the refund-status option; no account sign-in is required for this service.
- Enter your SSN or ITIN, filing status, tax year and exact refund amount.
- Submit the check and read the status displayed for that return.
The IRS says status is generally available at different times depending on how and when you filed:
- Current-year electronic return: generally 24 hours after e-filing.
- Prior-year electronic return: generally three days after e-filing.
- Paper return: generally four weeks after filing.
Those are availability intervals for the status service, not promises that the refund has been approved or deposited. The IRS also gives typical processing estimates of about three weeks from e-filing and six or more weeks from the date it receives a mailed return. Corrections, identity checks or further review can make a return take longer. Use the current IRS refund tracker for the status of your specific return rather than planning around a guaranteed deposit date.
After signing in, some users may also be able to check an amended-return status. Availability depends on the account and the features currently offered.
Can I make a payment in the IRS app?
Yes, certain payments remain available without signing in. Signed-in users can use additional account services, including paying a balance, scheduling a payment and reviewing payment activity when those options apply to their tax situation.
The payment method and sign-in requirement depend on what you are paying. The IRS app and IRS.gov present the choices that are currently available for the selected payment. Do not assume that the refund-status screen can accept a payment: refund tracking and payment processing are separate IRS functions.
Making a payment without an account
- Open the IRS app and select the payment service, or begin from the verified IRS website.
- Identify the type of payment you need to make and follow the prompted payment method.
- Enter the requested tax, identity and banking or card information in the secure IRS payment flow.
- Save the confirmation information shown after submission.
Because payment choices can change by tax type and account status, follow the options displayed for your specific payment instead of relying on a generic method listed elsewhere.
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Paying through signed-in account services
- Sign in through the app’s secure authentication window.
- Open the payment or balance area of the available Individual Online Account features.
- Choose whether to pay the displayed balance or schedule a payment, if that option is offered.
- Review the amount, date and payment details before submitting, then retain the confirmation.
Afterward, payment activity may appear in the signed-in account. The timing and detail shown are governed by the IRS account service, so a completed submission and an immediately updated history are not necessarily simultaneous.
Where do I find my tax transcript?
Tax records and transcripts are account features. Sign in to the IRS app using the secure authentication process, then open the available tax-record or transcript service. The app can provide available transcripts and information-return documents for download, but the exact records shown depend on your account and the services currently offered.
The IRS online-account guidance says there is no fee to download or print transcripts from an online account.
Transcript versus tax compliance report
| Document | What it contains | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Tax transcript | Tax-return details, including income, dependents and filing status | One tax year |
| Tax compliance report | Less personal information and a tax-compliance check | A longer period |
A transcript is not a complete photocopy of the original return. If a lender, government agency or another organization requests a particular document, confirm whether it wants a transcript, an information-return document or a compliance report before downloading anything.
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Do I need to sign in to use IRS2Go or the IRS app?
No for refund status and certain payment services. You do need secure sign-in for account-specific information such as payment activity, notices and available tax records or transcripts.
When you choose a sign-in feature, the app opens authentication in a secure browser window and then returns you to the app. The IRS says account information is not stored locally as permanent app data. That design means the app can display account information after authentication without keeping a permanent local copy of the account on your device.
Sign-in does not turn the app into the full IRS.gov account. The IRS currently describes the mobile experience as selected Individual Online Account features; Business Tax Account and Tax Pro Account capabilities are not all included.
IRS app versus IRS.gov: which should you use?
| Need | IRS app | IRS.gov |
|---|---|---|
| Refund status | Available without sign-in | Refund-status service is also available without sign-in |
| Certain payments | Available without sign-in for eligible services; signed-in options may add account functions | Payment choices and instructions for the specific payment |
| Payment history and account details | Selected Individual Online Account features after secure sign-in | Broader online-account experience, subject to the account type |
| Tax records and transcripts | Available records can be viewed or downloaded after sign-in | Online-account access and other IRS record instructions |
| Business or tax-professional account work | Not all features are included | Use the applicable IRS account service |
Choose the app for quick mobile access to the services it supports. Choose IRS.gov when the app does not show the feature you need, when you are handling a business or tax-professional account, or when you need the broader online-account interface.
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What information and device access do I need?
For a refund check, the essential requirements are your SSN or ITIN, filing status, tax year and exact refund amount. You do not need an IRS online-account username and password for that service.
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For payments, have the tax period, payment amount and whatever banking, card or identity details the selected IRS payment method requests. The service will identify any additional requirements before submission.
For transcripts and account records, you need to complete the IRS’s secure sign-in. The app-store update process also requires access to the official Apple App Store or Google Play account used on your device. The IRS materials do not establish one universal operating-system version or device model, so follow the requirements shown in your store listing.
Common problems and what to do
The app still says IRS2Go
Check whether automatic updates are enabled. If not, open the official app-store listing and select Update. If the listing is unclear, leave the store and begin at IRS.gov/app rather than installing an app from an advertisement or an unfamiliar website.
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My refund does not appear
First verify that enough time has passed for the service to receive the filing: generally 24 hours for a current-year e-file, three days for a prior-year e-file or four weeks for a paper return. Re-enter the exact refund amount, filing status, tax year and SSN or ITIN. If the return is still within normal processing, the tracker may not yet have a new status. Returns needing correction or further review can take longer than the typical three-week e-file or six-plus-week mailed-return estimates.
I thought the refund tracker would show my payment
It will not. Refund status and payment activity are different services. Use the payment area for a payment you made to the IRS, and use the refund-status service for money the IRS may send you.
I cannot find a transcript
Sign-in is required for records. After authentication, check the tax-record or transcript area and the tax year requested. Only records currently available for your account and the IRS service are displayed. If another organization requested a document, verify whether it needs a transcript or a compliance report; they are not interchangeable.
A message or pop-up asks for my tax details
Stop and verify the source. The IRS advises using IRS.gov or the official Apple App Store and Google Play listings. It says it will not ask for sensitive personal or financial information through an unsolicited text, email or pop-up. Do not enter your SSN, bank details or payment information into a lookalike app or an unsolicited link.
What the IRS app does not replace
- It does not contain every Individual Online Account feature.
- It does not provide all Business Tax Account or Tax Pro Account functions.
- It does not guarantee a refund date; processing estimates can change when a return needs correction or review.
- It does not merge refund tracking with payment history.
The practical rule is simple: use the no-sign-in services for a quick refund check or an eligible payment, and authenticate only when you need account-specific activity, notices or tax records. For anything the app does not expose, continue through the verified IRS.gov account and service pages.
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