Waiting on Your Tax Refund? Here's When You Can Expect It

Everything About the Tax Refund Timeline

As the tax filing season in the United States begins, millions of Americans are rushing to submit their 2025 returns as soon as they can. The Internal Revenue Service officially began accepting tax filings from January 26 for most taxpayers, with the deadline set for April 15, 2026. As household budgets are still being impacted by inflation and higher living costs, all filers are eagerly waiting for the moment when they receive their tax refunds. This could bring much-needed financial relief for many low and middle-income families. Here's everything you need to know about the timeline.

When Will You Receive Your Refunds?

At the beginning of the tax filing season, the IRS explained that the much-awaited refunds will be disbursed within about 21 days after a return is filed. However, it's important to note that internal overhaul within the IRS is expected to cause slight delays. Some taxpayers may have to wait a little longer in certain cases. As reported by Fox Business, the official report stated, "While the IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days, some returns require additional review and may take longer." The 21-day timeline applies only to e-filers, while those who submit mail returns should expect a wait time of six weeks or more before receiving their refunds.

Other Options

Just last fall, the IRS decided to start reducing its use of paper refund checks. But taxpayers will still receive a paper check if no other payment method is available. Additionally, for those without traditional bank accounts, there are a few other alternatives, such as prepaid debit cards, digital wallets, and certain special-case limited options. Anyone who still hasn't filed for a tax refund should think about going forward with the direct deposit option, as it’s one of the quickest ways. During the 2025 filing season, nearly all tax refunds were delivered via direct deposit.

How to Track the Refund Status?

Taxpayers who submit their returns electronically have the option to start tracking their refund, usually within a day, through the IRS’s 'Where’s My Refund?' tool. This tool shows details for the current tax year as well as the two previous years. But the timeline can increase if changes are needed after filing. Amended returns take at least three weeks to show up in the IRS system. To track this, the IRS provides a separate 'Where’s My Amended Return?' tool that allows you to monitor the progress of the correction.

Impact of Partial Shutdown

The partial government shutdown that began on February 1 may cause delays in when some taxpayers receive their refunds. During the previous shutdown, which lasted for 43 days, the IRS stated, "Tax refunds will generally not be paid during this period, with one key exception. For taxpayers filing a Form 1040, refunds will continue to be paid on electronically filed, error-free returns that can be automatically processed and direct deposited." But IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said that the recent shutdown would not disrupt tax refunds in any way.

Higher Refunds

IRS data shows that refunds averaged $3,167 as of December 26 last year. But the Treasury Department expects households to receive $1,000 higher in 2026. Tom O’Saben, who is the director of tax content for the National Association of Tax Professionals, said, “For clients whose income, filing status, and dependents haven’t changed much since 2024, the combination of expanded tax benefits for 2025 and unchanged withholding is clearly pushing refunds higher,” as reported by CNN.