CP53, CP53A, CP53B, CP53C, CP53D and CP53W: What Happened to Your Refund

Which CP53 notice do you have?

Six notices share the CP53 number. Each IRS page describes a different problem.

CP53: the IRS page says, “We couldn’t direct deposit your refund, so we’re sending you a refund check by mail.”

CP53A, CP53B and CP53C: the IRS tried to deposit your refund, but your bank could not process it. All three pages say, “We’re researching your account for the next steps.” CP53B adds steps to protect your accounts.

CP53D: you asked for direct deposit, and the IRS is mailing a paper check instead. The page gives two reasons. The IRS limits the number of refunds it deposits into the same bank account or onto the same prepaid debit card, and it cannot deposit any part of a refund into an account that does not belong to you.

CP53W: this one has nothing to do with a deposit. The page says a refund check the IRS sent came back to it. The IRS is reviewing your account to make sure the return and the refund are valid.

CP53E is a seventh notice with a different job: it asks you to add a bank account through your IRS online account. Our CP53E page covers it.

How long to wait

After a CP53, the IRS page says, “Your refund should arrive 4 weeks from the date of your notice.” After a CP53D, the page says you should get the check “within 4 weeks from the date of your notice,” as long as your return has no other open issue. Call the number on the notice if the check has not come by then.

After a CP53A, CP53B or CP53C, the wait is longer. Each page tells you to call if you do not get your refund check or a follow-up letter “within 10 weeks.” After a CP53W, the page asks you to wait 10 weeks before you check on your refund.

Have your paperwork ready when you do call. The CP53A page names cancelled checks and an amended return as examples.

Calling early does not help. The CP53A page says, “If you call us before 10 weeks, we won’t have any information about the status of your refund.” The CP53D page says calling the IRS “won’t speed up your refund,” and that the IRS writes to you if it needs more information. The CP53C page says you don’t need to call unless the IRS sends you a letter asking you to.

Treat any date you saw as an estimate. The CP53A and CP53D pages say the IRS cannot promise the date you’ll get your refund, and that the date from a preparer, tax software or Where’s My Refund? is a “best-case scenario.” The CP53D page also suggests you track your refund on the IRS website.

The wait runs longer when the review finds something. The CP53A and CP53C pages name three things that change the time frame: a bankruptcy, an open audit, or a balance due on a related account, such as a different tax year. Our refund hold guide explains how to tell which kind of hold you have.

Why a bank sends a refund back

The CP53A and CP53C pages say a bank usually rejects a refund because one of four items does not match its records: the name, the Social Security number, the routing number or the account number.

Ownership matters too. Several of the pages say you can send a refund to any of your own checking or savings accounts, but not to someone else’s, except your spouse’s account for a joint refund. That rules out sending part of a refund to a tax preparer’s account to pay a fee.

The CP53D page adds a count rule: if your refund would be the fourth one sent to the same account or prepaid debit card, you get a paper check instead. A family account that takes several refunds can hit that limit.

Names trip up deposits too. The CP53B and CP53C pages say that if you changed your name after a marriage or divorce, the name on your return should match the name the Social Security Administration has for you.

Age of the return matters as well. The CP53 page says the IRS can direct deposit refunds only for the current filing year and 2 prior tax years. A refund for an older year comes by check. The page also suggests filing electronically next time.

If you did not file this return

A CP53 notice for a return you never filed is a warning sign. The CP53B page says that if you did not file a return, send Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, to the IRS address in the Form 14039 instructions. The CP53D page says the same and also accepts a police report that names identity theft as the issue.

Both pages suggest an IRS Identity Protection PIN, which helps stop someone else from filing a return with your number. The CP53B page also tells you to watch your bank accounts and to report unusual activity to your bank, a credit bureau, your local police or sheriff’s department, and the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov.

A CP53W can point to a different crime. The page says someone may have altered your check, usually by changing the payee’s name, the address or the refund amount. For future refunds, the page suggests direct deposit as faster and more secure.

What people mistake the CP53 notices for

Many people mistake a CP53 notice for a CP53E. None of these six pages asks you to send bank details. If a letter asks for your bank account, read our CP53E page first.

Others think they lost the refund. A CP53 or CP53D says a check is coming. A CP53A, CP53B, CP53C or CP53W says the IRS will either send the check or write to you if it needs more information.

Some people expect the IRS to send the check to a new address. The CP53 page says the IRS mails refund checks only to the address of record: the address on the return, or a permanent address change you filed later. To change it, call the number on your notice or file Form 8822, Change of Address. Our guide to reaching the IRS lists other routes.

Common Questions