IRS Refund Schedule: When You Get Your Tax Refund, by How You File
The IRS does not publish a refund calendar that maps a filing date to a deposit date. What it publishes is a typical wait: 3 weeks from the date you e-file, or 6 or more weeks from the date it receives a mailed return. Returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit are held until at least February 15. This page gives those rules and will add the 2027 season dates once the IRS announces them.
Table of Contents
Refund Timing by Filing Method
| How you file | Typical wait | When Where's My Refund shows it |
|---|---|---|
| E-filed current-year return | 3 weeks from the date you e-filed | 24 hours after you e-file |
| E-filed prior-year return | Not stated by the IRS | 3 days after you e-file |
| Mailed paper return | 6 or more weeks from the date the IRS receives it | 4 weeks after you file |
| Return claiming EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit | Not before February 15 | 24 hours after you e-file |
These are typical times, not guarantees. A return with a math error, a missing signature, an amended return or an injured-spouse claim takes longer. Your refund can also be reduced to pay past-due federal tax, child support, federal agency nontax debt or state income tax. Direct deposit is faster than a check, and the IRS is phasing out paper refund checks. You have 3 years to claim a refund.
EITC and Additional Child Tax Credit Refunds
By law, no refund can be issued before the 15th day of the second month after the tax year ends if the return claims the refundable part of the child tax credit (the Additional Child Tax Credit) or the Earned Income Tax Credit. For a 2026 return, that date is February 15, 2027. Filing in January does not move it. We have not found an IRS statement of how long after February 15 these refunds arrive, so we do not give a date.
2027 Filing Season Dates
As of November 4, 2026, we found no IRS announcement of the 2027 filing season start date, so none is stated here. Do not trust a refund calendar for 2027 that lists dates before the IRS announces them. We will update this page when the IRS publishes the date. For the size of a typical refund, see average tax refund; to estimate yours, use the tax refund calculator.
Sources & Methodology
- Typical refund times, Where's My Refund availability, delay reasons, reduced refunds: IRS, Refunds (page updated Oct. 16, 2026). Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- 3 years to claim, paper check phase-out: IRS, About refunds (page updated Aug. 20, 2026). Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- February 15 rule: 26 U.S.C. 6402(m). Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- 2027 season dates: IRS newsroom checked Nov. 4, 2026; no announcement found.
FAQ
When will I get my refund if I e-file?
The IRS says typically 3 weeks from the date you e-filed, unless the return needs review or claims the EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit.
Why is my refund held until February?
If your return claims the EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit, federal law bars the IRS from issuing it before February 15.
When does the 2027 filing season open?
The IRS has not announced it as of November 4, 2026.
Where can I check my refund?
Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool or your IRS online account. Status is available 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return.
General information, not financial advice.
