People using the Internal Revenue Service’s new mobile phone app cannot avoid taxes, but they can at least track their refund.
The IRS2Go app, introduced on Monday, lets filers check on the status of their refund from their phone and get daily tax tips. The free app is available for iPhones and phones on the Android system.
It’s the first mobile phone app from the I.R.S., which is trying to dispel the image that it is behind the technological curve. Granted, the agency was not exactly speedy in developing the app — the first iPhones went on sale four years ago — and its features are limited.
“This new smartphone app reflects our commitment to modernizing the agency and engaging taxpayers where they want when they want it,” said Doug Shulman, the I.R.S. commissioner. “As technology evolves and younger taxpayers get their information in new ways, we will keep innovating to make it easy for all taxpayers to access helpful information.”
To check the status of their refund through the app, users enter their Social Security number, which is encrypted for security. They then select the filing status they used along with the amount they expect to receive in their refund.
People who file online can check the status of their refund 72 hours after they receive an e-mail from the I.R.S. confirming that it has received their tax return. Those who file paper returns must wait up to four weeks.
Additionally, users of the app can sign up to receive tax tips it promises will be in “plain English,” about topics like child tax credits and education credits. They can also sign up to follow the I.R.S. Twitter feed.
This month, Intuit introduced the SnapTax app, which lets people who file the 1040EZ form do so from their mobile phones. Users fill out most of the return by photographing their W-2 forms.
The I.R.S.’s new app does not offer the ability to file tax returns. But the agency did say that it may make upgrades to the app or introduce new ones in the future.
“We will look for additional ways to expand and refine our use of smartphones and other new technologies to help meet the needs of taxpayers,” Mr. Shulman said.