How Long Does It Usually Take to Get Your Taxes Back?

A tax refund is money returned to a taxpayer who has overpaid their taxes to the government, often through payroll withholding or estimated tax payments. The time it takes to receive this money from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can vary based on several factors.

Standard IRS Refund Timelines

The timeline for receiving a federal tax refund is influenced by how you file your return and how you choose to receive your money. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days for taxpayers who file electronically and select direct deposit. This combination is the fastest method, as both the submission and payment are handled digitally.

Opting to e-file but receiving a paper check by mail will slow down the process, as you must wait for the U.S. Treasury to issue and mail the check. Filing a paper return is the slowest method, as the return must be manually entered into the IRS system. Taxpayers who file on paper should expect to wait four weeks or more for their refund. These timelines assume the tax return is accurate and complete.

Common Factors That Delay Refunds

Several issues can delay a refund beyond standard processing times. Simple errors are a frequent cause, including mathematical mistakes, incorrect Social Security numbers, or forgetting to sign the return. Incomplete forms, such as failing to attach required documents like Form W-2, will also halt processing.

Certain tax credits can also extend the refund timeline. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act requires the IRS to hold the entire refund of anyone claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until at least mid-February. This measure gives the agency more time to verify eligibility, so taxpayers claiming these credits will not see their refund until late February or early March.

A return may be flagged for further review for reasons like suspected identity theft or fraud, which triggers a manual review. Another situation that adds time is filing Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation. This form is used when a joint refund is seized to pay a past-due debt of only one spouse, and processing it can add 11 to 14 weeks to the refund timeline.

How to Check Your Refund Status

The most efficient way to monitor your federal refund is by using the official IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool, available on the IRS.gov website and the IRS2Go mobile app. To use the tool, you will need three pieces of information from your tax return: your Social Security Number or ITIN, your filing status, and the exact whole-dollar amount of your expected refund.

The tool provides updates on your refund’s journey through three stages. The first status, “Return Received,” confirms the IRS has your return and has begun processing it. This status appears within 24 hours for e-filed returns or about four weeks after mailing a paper return.

The next status is “Refund Approved.” This indicates the IRS has finished processing your return and approved the refund amount. The tool will often provide a projected date for when the refund will be sent.

The final status, “Refund Sent,” means the IRS has issued your refund. If you chose direct deposit, it might take up to five business days for the funds to appear in your account; a mailed check can take several weeks to arrive.

State Tax Refunds

Federal and state tax systems are separate, so the timeline for a federal refund has no bearing on your state tax refund. Processing times for state refunds vary widely from one state to another, ranging from a few days to several weeks or even months.

To find out the status of your state tax refund, you must use the resources provided by your specific state’s tax agency. This involves visiting the agency’s website to find its dedicated refund tracking tool.

Amended Tax Return Refunds

If you discover an error after filing your original tax return, you may need to file an amended return using Form 1040-X. Processing these returns takes significantly longer than original returns. You should allow up to 16 weeks for an amended return to be processed, and current processing times can be longer. The processing timeframe begins when the IRS receives the Form 1040-X, not when you filed your original return.

The IRS provides a separate tool called “Where’s My Amended Return?” to track the status of these filings. You can begin checking the status about three weeks after you file the Form 1040-X. If the amended return results in an additional refund, taxpayers who file electronically can choose direct deposit, while paper filers will receive a check by mail.