The time you will receive your tax refund depends on how you filed your tax return and other factors:
- For e-filed returns, refunds typically take up to 21 days to process.
- For mailed paper returns, processing can take 4 to 8 weeks.
- These timeframes start after the IRS has accepted your tax return.
Other factors can delay your refund, such as errors in your tax return, IRS processing delays, filing during the busiest time of the tax season (late March to mid-April), certain credits claimed (e.g., Earned Income Tax Credit), or if you owe money to the IRS. You can check the status of your refund using the IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool starting 24 hours after your return is accepted. In general, if you e-file and choose direct deposit, you could expect your refund within about 3 weeks. Mailed returns and refunds sent by check may take longer, from 4 to 9 weeks.
