Americans can file their 2025 tax returns with the IRS starting on Monday, Jan. 26, but what many people really want to know is when they can expect their refund.
That depends largely on whether you file electronically — as 93% of taxpayers did during last year’s tax season — or if you submit a paper return. Because the latter requires IRS employees to process the file, it can take much longer for these filers to get their refund checks.
Some experts also warn that taxpayers could face customer service issues with the IRS this season, pointing to employee cuts at the agency last year and fallout from the federal shutdown, when many workers were furloughed at a time the agency is usually preparing for tax season.
“Taxpayers might want to lower their expectations and prepare for unanswered phone calls to the IRS and delays in tax refunds, given these ingredients for a problem-prone filing season,” Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, said in a blog post earlier this month.
The IRS didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
What is the refund timeframe for electronic tax filers?
People who file electronically typically receive their refunds in less than 21 days, according to the IRS. That means a taxpayer who files a Form 1040 on Jan. 26 could receive a refund by Feb. 16, assuming there are no issues with the return.
On Monday, the IRS said in a statement that it started phasing out paper refund checks late last year. As a result, most taxpayers must provide the tax agency with their bank routing and account numbers to receive their refund through direct deposit.
After you get a notice from the “Where’s My Refund?” app that the IRS has sent your check, it could take up to five days for the refund to appear in your bank account, the IRS says.
What if I claimed the EITC or ACTC?
Taxpayers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), refundable tax credits designed for low- to moderate-income working families, may face a longer wait for their refunds.
That’s because, by law, the IRS is required to hold these returns longer, giving the agency longer to scan for fraud or misapplied tax credits. About one-third of EITC claims are paid in error because some taxpayers may not understand whether they qualify for it, the IRS says.
People who claimed either the EITC or the ACTC won’t get their refund until March 2, at the earliest, the IRS said Monday.
How can I track my refund?
Filers should check the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund” tool to get an update on the status of their return, with the agency typically providing information about 24 hours after an electronic filing.
People who file paper returns will need to wait about four weeks for their status to show up in the “Where’s My Refund” app, because it takes longer for those filings to get logged by IRS employees compared with automated processing of e-filed returns.
What information do I need for “Where’s My Refund”?
The IRS says you’ll need to provide the following info to use the agency’s “Where’s My Refund?” app:
Social Security or individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN)Filing status, such as “married filing jointly”Exact refund amount on your return
The app will show one of several update statuses:
Return Received: This means the IRS has received your return and is processing it.
Refund Approved. This indicates that the IRS approved your refund and is preparing to issue it by the date shown.Refund Sent. This means the IRS sent the refund to your bank or to you in the mail.
How big will this year’s tax refunds be?
Annual tax refunds are often the biggest checks that households receive each year, with payments last year averaging almost $3,200, according to IRS data.
This year’s refund season could be even larger, with the typical check set to increase by an additional $1,000, financial services company Piper Sandler said in a recent analysis. That means the average refund could rise to about $4,200, although some taxpayers will get a bigger check than others due to the Republicans’ “big, beautiful” tax and spending law.
For instance, older Americans who can claim the new $6,000 senior deduction may get a bigger boost, as well as homeowners who can claim the expanded $40,000 state and local tax deduction.
Alain Sherter
