Most tax refunds are issued within 21 days of the IRS receiving and processing an e-filed return, with direct deposits usually appearing within a few days of that approval. Paper-filed returns may take up to 6–8 weeks or longer. The safest way to track this is via the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website.
The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days of e-filing, but paper-filed returns can take 6 to 8 weeks.
For example, if you electronically file your return to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) using NETFILE, you can expect to receive your refund (in most cases, via direct deposit) in as little as 8 business days (NetFile submissions to Revenu Québec take about 2 weeks to process).
Refunds to debit cards tend to take between two and five business days, but it can take up to 30 days depending on the company issuing the refund.
When the status changes to approved, this means the IRS is preparing to send the refund as a direct deposit to the taxpayer's bank account or directly to the taxpayer in the mail, by check, to the address used on their tax return.
A “return being processed” status means the IRS has your tax return, and your paper check, direct deposit or e-return is hopefully on the way. Your personalized refund date will be available as soon as the IRS finishes processing your return and confirms its approval.
If a refund is due, then there is nothing more you have to do — you can log out and wait for the refund, which you can expect within approximately 72 hours, provided your banking details with SARS are correct.
Status Post the ITR Processing
Typically, the refund process takes around 20-45 days after the e-verification of the income tax return. However, if the acknowledgement has been sent physically to the CPC, it may take longer. Demand determined: This means additional tax is payable.
Get your refund faster
Where's My Refund provides a personalized date after the return is processed and a refund is approved. While most tax refunds are issued within 21 days, some may take longer if the return requires additional review. Here are a few reasons a tax refund may take longer: The return may include errors or be incomplete.
How long after a notice of assessment will you get a refund? If you file taxes online, you should receive the notice of assessment (NOA) and the tax refund within two weeks from the date of filing, or within eight weeks if you file by mail. If you are living outside Canada, your tax refund can take up to sixteen weeks.
There's no strict maximum limit for how long the IRS can hold a refund, but they must pay interest after 45 days; while most e-filed returns take 21 days, returns needing extra review for errors, fraud, or certain credits (like EITC/ACTC) can take months (45-180+ days), and amended returns can take 8-16 weeks, with unfiled returns having an indefinite delay until filed.
The IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 calendar days. You can check the status of your refund with “Where's my refund?” on IRS.gov or the IRS2Go mobile app.
Processed: This is the status when your return is successfully processed. Defective: This is the status where the department notices some defect in the filed return due to lack of certain essential information as required under law, or some inconsistencies.
Refund processing times vary widely, but for IRS tax refunds, e-filing typically takes under 21 days, while paper returns take 6-8 weeks; for retail purchases, it's often 2-10 business days for debit/credit cards but can be longer (up to 30 days) depending on the merchant and card issuer, as funds travel from the merchant's bank to the network and then to your bank.
Processing your refund usually takes: Up to 21 days for an e-filed return. 6 weeks or more for returns sent by mail. Longer if your return needs corrections or extra review.
Contact your bank to verify if there's a delay at their end. Raise a refund reissue request on the income tax portal. Wait 15 – 30 days for the refund to process. Reach out to the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) of the Income Tax Department.
Once a return is accepted, the next major milestone is approval. Approval happens after the IRS finishes processing the return and confirms the information is ready for final review. If a refund is expected, approval is the stage when the IRS authorizes its release.
Yes, you can get your tax refund before the official due date, often by filing early and using direct deposit, with some tax software even offering to deliver it up to 5 days sooner than the IRS's processing date, though the IRS legally holds Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refunds until mid-February. Your bank or financial institution also plays a role, as some release funds upon receipt of the electronic transfer, while others wait for the official post date, but filing early speeds up the overall IRS process, typically within 21 days for most non-EITC/ACTC refunds.
24 hours after you e-file a current-year return.
Online returns: About 2 weeks. Paper returns: About 8 weeks. Direct deposit: As soon as 8 days after online submission. Mailed cheque: 4-6 weeks after processing.
Normally, it's between 10 and 21 days to get your Federal tax refund from the IRS, unless it's a prior year Federal Income Tax Return.