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By Aliss Higham
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Tax filing season is well underway, and the more organized among us who have already submitted and paid their returns are likely awaiting a welcome refund from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Newsweek has put together everything you need to know about getting your tax refund, from how long you need to wait, to the best and fastest methods for seeing your money in the bank.
Why It Matters
Tax filing season opened on January 27, with millions of Americans already filing and paying their tax returns with the IRS. With an average refund amount of $1,928 reported for 2025 so far, making sure you get your owed money is important.
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How Long Do Refunds Take?
If you submit a complete and accurate paper tax return, you can expect your refund within six to eight weeks from the date the IRS receives it. For electronic returns, your refund will typically be issued in under three weeks, and even faster if you select direct deposit.
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Best Way To Get a Refund
The IRS recommends for the quickest turnaround, you should electronically file your return and choose a direct deposit as your refund method. You can do this by selecting it as your refund method through your tax software and type in the account number and routing number, or by telling your tax preparer you want direct deposit.
"Combining direct deposit with electronic filing is the fastest way to receive your refund," the IRS says on its website. "There's no chance of it going uncashed, getting lost, stolen, or destroyed."
How To Check Refund Status
If you use the online checker, the status of any money owed to you will appear around:
- Twenty-four hours after you e-file a current-year return
- Three or four days after you e-file a prior-year return
- Four weeks after you file a paper return
Information is updated once a day, overnight, so if you don't have any results, check back the next day.
To log in and check the status of your refund, you will need:
- Your Social Security or individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN)
- Your filing status
- The exact refund amount on your return
Where's My Refund has three stages it can display. These are:
- Return Received—The IRS has received your return and is processing it.
- Refund Approved—Your refund has been approved and the IRS is preparing to issue it by the date shown.
- Refund Sent—The IRS has sent the refund to your bank or in the mail. It may take up to five days for it to show in your bank account or several weeks for your check to arrive in the mail.
Delayed Refunds
There are several factors that could delay your tax refund:
- Errors, missing information, or issues related to identity theft or fraud.
- Corrections needed for the Child Tax Credit or Recovery Rebate Credit.
- Claims involving the Earned Income Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, or the inclusion of Form 8379 (Injured Spouse Allocation).
- Processing time required by the taxpayer's bank or credit union to deposit the refund.
The IRS may contact taxpayers by mail if additional information is needed to process the return.
If it has been at least four weeks since you filed your return, you can check on the status of your refund by calling the IRS TeleTax System at 1-800-829-4477.
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