Monday marked the start of the 2025 tax filing season, when thousands of Americans will file their forms with the IRS and, if eligible, receive refunds. The IRS recently stated that one specific refund will not be issued until early March, despite the fact that the majority of refunds will be issued in under 21 days.
After you’ve submitted your return, remember that you can always check the status of your refund by using the “Where’s My Refund?” digital tool.
The IRS confirmed that this group of people won’t receive their refund
On a case-by-case basis, the following categories will be displayed:
- Return received
- Approved refund
- Refund sent
It is important to note that if a return requires corrections or additional review, more time will be required to process it. According to the IRS, several factors may influence how long it takes to process the refund once the claim is received.
Taxpayers were advised that, while the majority of refunds are typically available in less than 21 days, the IRS is not permitted to issue Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refunds before mid-February under the federal Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH).
As a result, before February 22, those who are scheduled to receive them will be able to check their most recent status in the digital tool. In any case, by March 3, “the majority of the EITC/ACTC refunds will be accessible in taxpayers’ bank accounts or debit cards.” . This deadline applies to taxpayers who do not need to make changes to their tax returns and have chosen direct deposit as their method of collection.
How does the IRS Refund Tool work?
To find out “Where’s my refund?” taxpayers can go to the Internal Revenue Service’s website or download the IRS2Go mobile app for their phones or other devices. According to the IRS, information about your 2024 return will be available via both services about 24 hours after you electronically submit it.
Meanwhile, those who file paper forms will have to wait approximately four weeks for their information to appear on the IRS2Go app or “Where’s my refund?” Taxpayers must enter information for both services to track their refunds.
- Your Taxpayer Identification Number or Social Security number
- Status of filing, such as married filing jointly or single filing
- The precise total amount that you anticipate receiving back from your initial 2024 tax return
Using the IRS tracking services, you can determine whether the IRS has received your tax return, whether the refund has been authorized, and when the funds are expected to be deposited into your account.
When will Americans receive their tax refund?
This depends on whether you filed your taxes electronically or on paper, as well as whether the IRS finds any errors on your return. Refunds for electronically filed returns are usually issued in less than 21 days. That is, assuming everything goes as planned, a taxpayer who filed their 1040 on January 27 could receive their refund by February 17.
However, on January 10th, the IRS launched its Free File service, a program that will be available to taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of $84,000 or less in 2024 through tax software companies. Refunds may be available for those who used Free File by January 31.
Reasons why your refund might be delayed
If you file a paper return, your refund may be delayed because it takes more time for IRS staff to complete than an e-filed return, which is primarily processed by computers. A tax refund may also be delayed if you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This is because returns that claimed such tax credits before mid-February are not legally eligible for refunds from the IRS.
According to the IRS, some issues may prevent you from receiving your tax refund, such as math errors on your return, missing or incorrect Social Security numbers, or misspelled names. Even if they are minor errors, the IRS may flag your return and delay your refund.
