How Do I Change My Direct Deposit Information With the IRS?
The reliable moment to set your refund bank account is before you file. Here is what the IRS allows after a return is posted, including the limited CP53E exception starting in 2026.
If you mean the bank account used for an IRS tax refund, the easiest time to change your direct deposit information is before you file. Enter the correct routing and account numbers on the tax return. Once the IRS has posted a filed return to its system, taxpayers generally cannot simply replace the bank information.
There is a limited 2026 exception. If the IRS issues a CP53E notice, the taxpayer may be able to update bank account information through the IRS Online Account. Without that notice, the IRS says bank information generally cannot be changed after the return has been posted.
Change the Account Before Filing
When preparing a return, select direct deposit and enter the routing number and account number for the account that should receive the refund. Verify both numbers carefully with the financial institution before submitting the return.
The IRS can deposit refunds into eligible checking or savings accounts and certain other accounts that have valid routing and account numbers. The financial institution must also accept the deposit.
Can You Change Direct Deposit After Filing?
Usually not after the IRS has posted the return. Current IRS guidance says that if a CP53E notice has not been issued and the return is already posted in the system, bank account information cannot be changed.
This makes pre-filing review important. A mistyped account number can be much harder to fix after the return has been submitted.
The CP53E Exception in 2026
Beginning in 2026, taxpayers who receive a CP53E notice may have an option to update their bank account information in their IRS Online Account. The Online Account will indicate whether the notice has been issued.
This is a specific IRS process, not a general feature that allows everyone to edit refund banking details after filing.
What If You Entered the Wrong Account Number?
What happens next depends on whether the financial institution accepts or rejects the deposit. Taxpayers should monitor the refund through the IRS refund-status tools and contact their financial institution when appropriate.
Do not send sensitive bank information by ordinary email or to someone claiming they can manually redirect an IRS refund. Use official IRS processes and verified financial-institution channels.
How to Check Your Refund Status
The IRS refund tracker can generally show the status of a current-year refund about 24 hours after an electronically filed return is received. Prior-year electronic returns and paper returns take longer to appear.
Checking refund status does not itself change the destination account. It is a way to see where the return and refund are in the processing cycle.
Direct Deposit Information Is Different From IRS Payment Information
Refund direct deposit and payments you make to the IRS are separate issues. Changing the bank account you use to make an IRS payment does not automatically change the account selected to receive a tax refund.
When asking how to change “IRS direct deposit,” first identify whether the issue involves an incoming tax refund or an outgoing tax payment. The correct process depends on that distinction.
Before You Submit Your Return
Compare the routing number, account number and account type with information from your bank or credit union. Make sure the account can accept the refund and that the ownership details meet your financial institution's requirements.
A short review before filing is far easier than trying to correct bank information after the IRS begins processing the return.
