Individuals who file the Form 4868 get the deadline as October 15, 2025, to file the tax year 2025 returns (the documents that show how much you earned, spent, owe, or should get refunded). Those who will e-file the refund on or after April 16, 2025, can also anticipate getting the refund within 21 days.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, 90% of refunds that are electronically filed are received within two weeks if the payment method chosen is a direct deposit; those who file on paper and choose the payout method as a paper check will have to wait 6 to 8 weeks. You may check the expected schedule by going through the tabulated data.
| Filing Date | Refund (Direct Deposit) | Refund (Paper Check) |
| April 16, 2025 | May 7, 2025 | May 28 – June 11, 2025 |
| May 1, 2025 | May 22, 2025 | June 12 – June 26, 2025 |
| May 15, 2025 | June 5, 2025 | June 26 – July 10, 2025 |
| June 1, 2025 | June 22, 2025 | July 13 – July 27, 2025 |
| June 15, 2025 | July 6, 2025 | July 27 – August 10, 2025 |
| July 1, 2025 | July 22, 2025 | August 12 – August 26, 2025 |
| July 15, 2025 | August 5, 2025 | August 26 – September 9, 2025 |
| August 1, 2025 | August 22, 2025 | September 12 – September 26 |
| August 15, 2025 | September 5, 2025 | September 26 – October 10 |
| September 1, 2025 | September 22, 2025 | October 13 – October 27 |
| September 15, 2025 | October 6, 2025 | October 27 – November 10 |
| October 1, 2025 | October 22, 2025 | November 13 – November 27 |
| October 15, 2025 | November 5, 2025 | November 26 – December 10 |
Individuals who will claim the Additional Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit with the tax year 2024 return will also get the refund as per the above schedule; there will be no delay in receiving the direct deposit or paper check.
Refund Status
The refund status for e-file and on-paper returns is made available on the Where’s My Refund? portal within 24 hours and four weeks, respectively. If the required time has passed since you filed the return, you may check the status to find out that your return has been received, approved, or sent by the IRS.
The complete step-by-step instructions to check the IRS (Federal) Tax Refund for tax year 2024 are available below.
- Go to the official website of the Internal Revenue Service, which is accessible by visiting https://irs.gov/.
- Find an option that reads ‘Get your refund status’ under the section of How can we help you?, and tap on it.
- Now, you will see an option that reads ‘Check your refund.’ Click on it and get redirected to the ‘Where’s My Refund?’ tool.
- Lastly, you have to enter your Social Security Number, Tax Year, Filing Status, and Refund Amount and hit the Submit button.
Once you have gone through the step-by-step instructions above, you will successfully have checked that your tax return is received, accepted, or sent by the IRS.
Refund Stages
There is a web-based tool named ‘Where’s My Refund?’ and a mobile application named ‘IRS2Go’ to track the tax refund. By checking the same, you can check that your refund has been received, accepted, or sent. To learn the meaning of each stage, you are required to go through the listed points.
- Received: The IRS has received your federal tax return for tax year 2024, but they are still reviewing it to accept it.
- Accepted: The IRS has accepted your tax return, but they are yet to release direct debit or send the paper check.
- Send: The IRS has sent the direct deposit or paper check, which will be received shortly.
Following the release of direct deposit, it takes up to 72 hours to be received in the bank account. in the case of a paper check, one has to wait for up to four weeks to get the paper check.
What if delayed?
If the tax refund direct deposit or paper check is not received by the expected date, firstly he or she is required to check the refund status and find out whether the refund is sent by the IRS or not. If the required time has not passed since the release of the direct deposit or paper check, you have to wait for it.
By checking the federal tax refund status for tax year 2025, if you find that the required time has passed after the release of direct deposit or paper check, you need to get in touch with the concerned authorities of the Internal Revenue Service to know the reason behind it.
In the case of direct deposit, you receive your refund without any fraud, and if we talk about a paper check, then there is a fear of it getting stolen. So, if you feel that your refund check has been stolen, then it is important to register your complaint regarding it.
I never received my federal refund and I wanna know when will I receive it it’s been over 2 months or 3 months now
I have a friend who filed 2-11-25 via direct deposit & is still listed as received but being delayed noting tax topic 152 after calling the IRS to see if everything was correct nothing could be told to her but on April 3rd she will see the letter postmark March 31st stating she will receive the return in 60 days.
I waited for my almost a year! Called several times, no answer as to why…completed theft identity affidavit… Waited the 60 days twice.. then found a number for audited returns that told me to I needed to file my 2022 tax return to receive 2023!! , wow … Same message though. I just filed for 2024 so we will see .
I filed march 18 and haven’t gotten anything yet.
I know a handful of people who filed in late January early February and STILL hasn’t gotten their federal refund. They’ve got their states.. but feds haven’t came back . No letter of explanation, the filing company can’t tell them anything either. And can’t get ahold of a human to speak to when they do call the IRS numbers. Smh..
Was also informed if it goes beyond a certain time line then the IRS is in debt with you if interest on the refund. I don’t know the amount or how that’s determined or the date or what not. But that’s what my company told me. Who I file with. So that’s a plus.. it’ll come in a separate paper check, and I’m sure that check will also be delayed lol…. I know this isn’t very helpful..but just letting you know, you’re not alone in the waiting line .. sadly.
Pray everyone gets their money asap . Bc I know everyone needs it desperately. Have a good day
I never received my refund I filed on February 8th and want to know where my refund is
Same here the irs is a joke. Nothing but trash
Can’t wait
Filed in early February, my status is received, nothing since then. Where’s my refund or at least an update? This is ridiculous. It’s been over 2 months.
When we get refund
Filed my taxes electronically early March, we’re halfway through April and it still says received
I have been waiting for my 2022 tax return I filed 2022 and 2023 together. I received the 2023 tax return but never received the 2022. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to contact because I don’t see any place on the website to inquire or have someone try to assist me I believe my money was fraudulently taken.
Man
Call the Tax Advocate office and file a claim.
I don’t know who you use for filing. Or if you do them yourself. But you can call
H N R. BLOCK and ask them for the phone number for a human rep.. some can even tell you what numbers to hit on the automated part to get to a human. But the wait time is insane. So I’d get the number and then call first thing the next morning
Did you file on 2021?
How can I file last year taxes and lget extension plus need file this year
I have been waiting for my refund for 2 years. I’ve received 2 letters stating they need 60 days to find out what’s going on. That’s 120 days of waiting just to receive 2 more letters stating that I will get my refund in 6-8 weeks. That was 12 weeks ago. Still waiting. Each IRS rep that I talked to had no clue about anything and I even dealt with some rude ones that would transfer me anywhere else to not have to look in to it for me. I had to plead my case to the Tax Advocate office and was told by them that they are putting in a request for them to release it, and that I should receive it in another, guess? 6-8 weeks. Im still skeptical. The President has cut multiple IRS jobs. I hate to see anyone lose their job, but if you’re not doing it, then you need to go.