Form 9325: What Your IRS E-file Acknowledgement Means

This guide follows the January 2017 revision of Form 9325, which is the version on the IRS forms site as of October 2026. It's a 2017 form, so treat it as a record of acceptance and check the IRS site for current help lines rather than relying on the numbers printed on it.

Who gives you Form 9325

An Electronic Return Originator, or ERO, is the preparer or firm that sends your return to the IRS. The IRS notifies the ERO when your return is accepted, usually within 48 hours, and the ERO can use that acknowledgement file to complete Form 9325 for you. If your return was rejected, the IRS tells the ERO why instead.

The six boxes, one by one

Box	What it tells you
1	The tax year of the return, the processing center that received it and who provided the e-file service
2	The date it was accepted using a PIN as your electronic signature, plus the Submission ID
3	Accepted, but allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing, often because a child's name and Social Security number didn't match
4	Your electronic funds withdrawal payment was accepted for processing
5	Your electronic funds withdrawal payment was not accepted, so you need to pay another way
6	Your Form 4868 extension was accepted, with its own Submission ID

Box 3 is the one to notice. The form says the Earned Income Credit or a dependent's exemption may be reduced or disallowed because of the mismatch, and a notice will be sent to you explaining any changes.

Don't send a paper copy

The form says it in capitals: don't send a paper copy of your return to the IRS, because it'll delay processing. Your e-filed return is the return. If a box tells you a payment didn't go through, that's a payment problem, not a reason to mail the return again.

If you need to change the return

To correct a return you've e-filed, you send Form 1040-X, the amended return, rather than filing a second original. Form 9325 says to send it to the Submission Processing Center that handles paper returns for your area.

If you need to send paper forms or documents that couldn't go electronically, the preparer uses Form 8453 to transmit them. Form 9325 notes that W-2, W-2G and 1099-R forms aren't sent that way.

If you owe tax

If you chose direct debit and box 4 is checked, no voucher is needed. If box 5 is checked, the ERO should tell you to pay by check, money order, debit card or credit card instead. If you're not paying electronically you can use Form 1040-V as the voucher, and if you can't pay in full, Form 9465 is the installment agreement request.

To cancel a scheduled direct debit, for example because your bank details changed, the form says the request has to reach the IRS no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern time two business days before the payment date. Card payments go through private service providers who charge their own convenience fee, and you're told the fee before you confirm.

If you're waiting for a refund

The form's rule of thumb is to check the refund status if it's been more than three weeks since the IRS accepted your return and you haven't got your refund, unless box 3 is checked, in which case allow 4 to 6 weeks. It also warns that refunds can be used to cover overdue tax, and that the Treasury Offset Program can apply them to debts such as past due child support or student loans, with a notice sent if that happens.

If it's an extension, not a return

Box 6 is for Form 4868, the automatic extension. A 9325 with only box 6 checked confirms the extension was accepted, not that your return has been filed. Keep the extension's Submission ID with your records until the return itself goes in.

What the PIN box means for your signature

Box 2 confirms that a Personal Identification Number was used as your electronic signature. Either you entered it, or you authorized the ERO to enter or generate it for you. The ERO's instructions on the form add that Form 8879, the IRS e-file signature authorization, is needed when the ERO enters or generates the PIN, or when the Practitioner PIN method is used, so you may have signed an 8879 before the return went in.

If you're unsure whether a return was signed and filed, the Submission ID in box 2 is the detail to keep. It's assigned only once the return has been accepted, which is why a 9325 is better proof of filing than a copy of the return itself.

Refund products are separate from the IRS

Some preparers offer loans or other financial products tied to your expected refund. Form 9325 says the contract for any such product is between you and the financial institution, and the IRS isn't associated with it. Questions about those products go to the preparer or the lender, not the IRS.

The verdict

Keep Form 9325 with your tax papers. It's the proof that your e-filed return or extension reached the IRS and was accepted, and the Submission ID is the reference anyone helping you will ask for. Look closely at boxes 3 and 5, because those are the two that mean there's still something to do.

Frequently asked questions

What is Form 9325?

It's the IRS acknowledgement a preparer gives you after your e-filed return, or your Form 4868 extension, has been accepted.

Do I need to send Form 9325 to the IRS?

No. It's your record. The form also tells you not to send a paper copy of your e-filed return.

What does box 3 on Form 9325 mean?

Your return was accepted but needs 4 to 6 weeks to process, and the Earned Income Credit or a dependent's exemption may be reduced because of a name and Social Security number mismatch.

What's the Submission ID on Form 9325?

It's the reference number the IRS assigned to your accepted return or extension.

How long after Form 9325 should I get my refund?

The form says to check the refund status if more than three weeks have passed since acceptance, or allow 4 to 6 weeks if box 3 is checked.