When Should I Get My 2025 Tax Refund?
Tax season began January 27, 2025, when the IRS started accepting returns. They’ve promised most people filing electronically should get their tax refund within three weeks.
Filing online with direct deposit is still the fastest way to get your tax refund – most people only wait 10-21 days. If you mail in paper returns, you’ll probably be waiting much longer, sometimes more than two months.
Not everyone gets their money quickly though. If you claim tax credits like the Earned Income or Additional Child Credit, you’ll have to wait until at least March 3rd. Federal rules don’t allow these particular refunds before mid-February.
Need to check on your tax refund? Head to the IRS website’s refund tracker. Just enter your tax ID or Social Security number, filing method, and the refund amount you’re expecting. They update the status once every day.
If you file electronically, you’ll get a confirmation within two days that the IRS received your return. Just remember – your waiting period starts when they confirm receipt, not when you submit.
Several things can hold up your refund. You might have unpaid back taxes, student loans, or child support. Even basic errors like incorrect Social Security numbers can cause delays.
The IRS has beefed up their identity verification lately. These additional security measures might make processing take longer than usual.
Paper returns take forever to process. IRS staff have to manually handle each return, which really slows things down compared to electronic filing.
Getting your refund quickly depends on getting everything right. Even a small mistake can trigger a review, pushing your wait time well beyond the typical three weeks for electronic returns.
Want your money faster? Skip the paper check. Direct deposit will get your refund to you days or weeks before a check would show up in your mailbox.
