How long does it take get my tax refund

Tax Refund Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Deposit is a safe, reliable, and convenient way to receive Federal payments. The Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service and the Internal Revenue Service both encourage direct deposit of IRS tax refunds. Direct Deposit combined with IRS e-file provides taxpayers with the fastest and safest way to receive refunds.

This resource page of frequently asked questions about IRS tax refunds provides financial institutions with useful information for reference while assisting customers during the tax filing season.

For other FAQs about Direct Deposit, download the Direct Deposit FAQs.

Looking for Information About Your Tax Refund?

E-file and sign up for Direct Deposit to receive your refund faster, safer, and easier! You can check the status of your refund using IRS’ Where’s My Refund?

Not using e-file? You can still get all the benefits of Direct Deposit by getting your tax refund deposited into your account. Simply provide your banking information to the IRS at the time you are submitting your taxes.

Convenience, reliability and security. No more special trips to your institution to deposit your check — a nice feature if you are busy, ill, away from home, located far from a branch or in a place where parking is hard to find. You no longer need to wait for your check to arrive in the mail. Your money will always be in your account on time. If you move without changing financial institutions, you will not have to wait for your check to catch up with you. You do not have to worry about lost, stolen or misplaced checks.

Last modified 08/25/22

How long does it take get my tax refund

If you’re expecting a big tax refund, you’re probably asking yourself, “How long does it take to get a tax refund?” If you mail your return early in the tax season, you’ll receive your tax refund in about four to six weeks. However, if you wait and file your return close to the filing deadline, it will take about eight weeks.

How long it takes to get a tax refund depends on the way you file taxes. To get your refund sooner, e-file your return. The status for e-filing your federal return moves along much more quickly than if you mail in your return. Once you’ve completed the federal e-filing process, the response time from the IRS varies from two to four days.

You can check the e-file status of your federal tax return with our online Where’s My Refund tool.

Other ways to check your federal refund status

You can also check the status of your tax refund by:

  • Calling the IRS TeleTax System at 800-829-4477 or the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954.
  • Going to www.irs.gov:
    1. Choose Where’s My Refund?
    2. Enter identifying info to get your federal e-file status.

Have your return on hand, since you’ll need it to answer some questions. To check on your refund, you’ll need to provide your:

  • Social Security number (SSN) or another taxpayer identification number
  • Filing status
  • Exact amount of the refund shown on the return

When will my refund arrive?

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.

Why is my refund less than I expected?

It could be for these reasons your refund is less than expected:

  • You might have made a mathematical error or some other mistake on your return.
  • The IRS might have deducted these amounts from your refund:
    • Delinquent federal or state taxes
    • Back child support
    • Past-due non-tax federal debts, like student loans

You should receive a notice explaining the mistake or any adjustments made to your refund. The notice should include explanations of deductions for prior debts. Since your refund check and the notice come from different IRS locations, you might receive the explanation after you receive the refund check.

Get more tax guidance

If you have questions other than, “How long does it take to get a tax refund?” or “How can I find out my refund status?”, let us help. Head to our resource center for more informative tax tips!

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How long does it take get my tax refund

If you’re like most people, you dread tax season. But if you’re expecting a tax refund, you may have something to look forward to. Most people will get their tax refund within three weeks of filing, but it varies based on how you file and how you get your refund. If there’s extra money coming your way from the IRS, you may be able to pay off some debt, build an emergency fund using a high-interest savings account or work with a financial advisor to set investing and retirement goals.

When Will I Get My Tax Refund?

How long does it take get my tax refund

Most taxpayers receive their refunds within 21 days of filing. If you choose to have your refund deposited directly into your account, you may have to wait five days before you can gain access to it. If you decide to request a refund check, you might have to wait a few weeks for it to arrive. The table below will give you an idea of how long you’ll wait, from the time you file, until you get your refund.

Estimated Federal Tax Refund Schedule
Filing Method E-File, Direct Deposit Paper File, Direct Deposit E-File, Check in Mail Paper File, Check in Mail
Time from the day you file until you receive your refund 1-3 weeks 3 weeks 1 month 2 months

Note that these are just estimations. Based on how you file, most filers can generally expect to receive a refund within these time frames. On average, filers receive their refunds two weeks after their taxes were accepted by the IRS for direct deposits and three weeks after e-filing for a paper check in the mail. However, you may end up waiting longer in some cases.

How to Find the Current Status of My Refund

The Where’s My Refund? tool lets you check the status of your refund through the IRS website or the IRS2Go mobile app. If you submit your tax return electronically, you can check the status of your refund within 24 hours. But if you mail your tax return, you’ll need to wait at least four weeks before you can receive any information about your tax refund. Keep in mind that usually, you can file your taxes in January.

In order to find out the status of your tax refund, you’ll need to provide your Social Security number (SSN), filing status and the exact dollar amount of your expected refund. If you accidentally enter the wrong SSN, it could trigger an IRS Error Code 9001. That may require further identity verification and delay your tax refund.

What’s Taking So Long to Receive Refunds?

If you don’t receive your refund in 21 days, your tax return might need further review. This may happen if your return was incomplete or incorrect. The IRS may send you instructions through the mail if it needs additional information in order to process your return.

You may also experience delays if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, the IRS is required to hold tax returns for folks who claimed those credits until Feb. 15. If you claimed either of those tax breaks, a PATH Act message may appear when you use the Where’s My Refund? tool.

If you haven’t received your refund and you’re becoming impatient, calling the IRS will likely not help. It’s best to avoid contacting the IRS directly unless the Where’s My Refund? tool prompted you to do so or it’s been 21 days since you filed your tax return electronically (change that to six weeks after if you mailed your paper tax return).

What About My State Tax Refund?

How long does it take get my tax refund

What we’ve covered so far applies to federal tax refunds. As you might expect, every state does things a little differently when it comes to issuing tax refunds and it’s not possible to say for sure when everyone will receive their state tax refunds. Although, state refunds often come faster than those being processed through the federal system. This isn’t always the case, but it often is.

Generally, you can expect to receive your state tax refund within 30 days if you filed your tax return electronically. If you filed a paper tax return, it may take as many as 12 weeks for your refund to arrive. To find out the status of your refund, you’ll need to contact your state tax agency or visit your state’s Department of Revenue website.

When Are Taxes Due?

For most years, the deadline to submit your tax return and pay your tax bill is April 15. However, taxes for 2021 were required to be filed by April 18, 2022, due to a legal holiday in Washington D.C. Residents of Massachusetts and Maine had until April 19, 2022.

For those that were unable to meet the tax filing deadline for the year, there was an option to file for a six-month extension. This would put your extension deadline to file your taxes at October 17, 2o22, but the sooner you file, the sooner you can receive your tax refund.

Bottom Line

If you want to receive your tax refund as quickly as possible, you’ll need to complete your tax return early, check for mistakes before submitting it and file electronically. And while you can ask for a physical check, you’ll receive your refund much faster if it’s deposited directly into your checking account, savings account or individual retirement account (IRA). If you’re anxious about the status of your tax refund, don’t forget to use the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool. It provides real-time updates on the status of your refund.

Tips for Maximizing Your Tax Savings

  • Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors in your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • When you’re filing your taxes, a tax filing service can make things easier. They can take a lot of the confusion out of the process for you and help you file a more accurate tax return. They can also help you find deductions or exemptions that you wouldn’t have known about on your own. Popular software choices include TurboTax and H&R Block.
  • If you find that you’re regularly receiving large tax refunds, this may mean that you’re paying too much in taxes in the first place. In that case, you may want to adjust the withholding amounts on your W-4 so you can keep more money throughout the course of the year. Big refunds are exciting, but why give the IRS a free loan?

Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Juanmonino, ©iStock.com/balticboy, ©iStock.com/anyaberkut

Lauren Perez, CEPF® Lauren Perez writes on a variety of personal finance topics for SmartAsset, with a special expertise in savings, banking and credit cards. She is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance® (CEPF®) and a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Lauren has a degree in English from the University of Rochester where she focused on Language, Media and Communications. She is originally from Los Angeles. While prone to the occasional shopping spree, Lauren has been aware of the importance of money management and savings since she was young. Lauren loves being able to make credit card and retirement account recommendations to friends and family based on the hours of research she completes at SmartAsset.

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When can I expect my refund 2022?

Overall, the IRS anticipates most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically if they choose direct deposit and there are no issues with their tax return. The IRS urges taxpayers and tax professionals to file electronically.

How long does it really take to get tax refund?

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.

How long does a tax return take Australia?

Online returns process in 2 weeks (14 days) while paper takes up to 10 weeks (50 business days). Paper returns can take up to 7 weeks to show in our systems. If your tax return requires manual checks processing it may take longer.