The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days of when you electronically filed your tax return, and longer for paper returns.
In most cases, refunds are issued within 21 calendar days of when your taxes are submitted, but the tool can alert you of all the steps along the way, including when your return was received, when it was accepted and when the refund is actually sent.
Day of the week for IRS refund deposits
The IRS typically processes tax refunds and executes direct deposit transactions within 21 days after accepting your tax return. It's common for the IRS to issue them on business days, from Monday through Friday.
The IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the April 15 deadline, the agency said. The IRS expects to issue most refunds via direct deposit in less than 21 days, according to the agency, but some returns may require additional review that takes longer to process.
- You can start checking on the status of your return sooner - within 36 hours after you file your e-filed return or 4 weeks after a mailed paper return. It's Up-to Date! - It's updated every 24 hours - usually overnight -- so you only need to check once a day. There's no need to call IRS unless Where's My Refund?
This means the IRS experienced a higher volume than normal of electronic payments, which has caused a significant delay in processing payment records for payments received on or after April 18, 2024.
If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
The IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days for taxpayers who file electronically and choose direct deposit. However, some returns have errors or need more review and may take longer to process.
Most refunds will be issued in less than 21 days. You can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours after you have e-filed your return. Refund information is updated on the IRS website once a day, overnight. Remember, the fastest way to get your refund is to e-file and choose direct deposit.
While a person can choose direct deposit whether they file their taxes on paper or electronically, a taxpayer who e-files will typically see their refund in less than 21 days.
The 2025 tax-filing season will officially begin on Jan. 27, 2025 and most taxpayers will have until April 15, 2025 to file their returns. If you file for an extension, you will still need to make an estimated payment in April, although you will have an additional six months to submit your completed return.
"Where's My Refund?" on IRS.gov should show an updated status by Feb. 18 for most EITC and ACTC filers. The IRS expects most of these refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or debit cards by Feb. 28 if people chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return.
When to expect your refund. To process your refund, it usually takes: Up to 21 days for an e-filed return. 4 weeks or more for amended returns and returns sent by mail.
Tax refund 2023: The IRS has issued 8 million refunds. Here's the average amount.
In most cases IRS will electronically send refund to your bank/financial institution on Friday and in most cases, you will see it in your account on the following Tuesday. Electronically filed returns generally get refunds more quickly than mailed returns.
It can come earlier than the date the IRS provided you because when a company is sending money to your banking institute via direct deposit... in order for it to be available on the date it is posted for... they have to send the electronic transmission at least 24 hours in advance but most send it 48 hours in advance.
If you e-filed your return and chose direct deposit to receive your refund, you'll usually receive your refund in 8-15 days. However, you should allow an extra 1-5 business days for your bank to process the funds. If you chose the Refund Transfer option, the refund will come from the Axos Bank®, not the IRS.
The U.S. Treasury Department (which issues refunds for the IRS) issues both checks and direct deposits Monday - Friday so there is no way to know by day of the week which yours is.
Taxpayers can check the status of their refund easily and conveniently with the IRS Where's My Refund tool at IRS.gov/refunds. Refund status is available within 24 hours after the taxpayer e-filed their current year return.
It needs further review. It is affected by identity theft or fraud. It was referred to the IRS by the bank due to suspicious activity. It includes an Injured Spouse Allocation form, which could take up to 14 weeks to process.
Payments will vary but the maximum amount will be $1,400 per individual. In total, the IRS will be distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who failed to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.
See our Held or Stopped Refund page or our video for more information. If the IRS is reviewing your return, the review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing. Follow these steps if you know you made a mistake, before the IRS contacts you.