IRS Refund Schedule 2023: Where is My Tax Refund?

IRS Refund Schedule: Filed your return and wondering when you should expect your tax refund? This answer depends on how you filed your tax return (e-file or via mail). We'll explain more in this article.

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Every day, we work hard enough to earn money that could help us live a peaceful and stress-free life. It can be disappointing and even frustrating to see all that hard work being sucked away by the government through additional taxes. But if you are one of the lucky ones, then you are owed a tax refund for all your work from 2022.

Not long after filing your federal income tax return, you're often left playing the waiting game.

Some may be left thinking, what's wrong with the IRS and where's my refund?

If you are getting a tax refund, then we can help you understand just how soon you should expect it.

What is a Tax Refund?

First, we gotta cover the basics. A tax refund or tax rebate is a refund to an individual or household on taxes when the tax liability is less than the taxes paid.

Taxpayers can often get a tax refund on their income tax if the tax they owe is less than the sum of the total amount of the withholding taxes and estimated taxes paid, plus the refundable tax credits claimed.

You can pay to file your taxes or use handy tools that can help you file your taxes online for free (see the best free tax software here).

If it is possible for you to get every dollar back, then why not go for it? Let's face it, we deserve it.

IRS Tax Refund Schedule 2023

Here are the basics:

Taxes Due: Tuesday, April 18, 2023
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (E-File): 21 Days After E-File, if eligible
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (Mail): Up to 12 weeks, if eligible

2023 Tax Deadline

The tax deadline will be on Tuesday, April 18th, 2023.

The filing deadline to submit 2022 tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Tuesday, April 18, 2023, for most taxpayers.

By law, Washington, D.C., holidays impact tax deadlines for everyone in the same way as federal holidays.

The due date is April 18, instead of April 15, because of the weekend and the District of Columbia's Emancipation Day holiday, which falls on Monday, April 17.

Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Monday, October 16, 2023, to file.

Tax Refund Dates

Although the tax refund dates have not been precisely stated, the IRS is expected to give a tax refund to most of the filers within 21 days. Here are estimations for expected returns based on filing dates and information from the IRS:

irs refund schedule
Source: Forbes

The IRS also offers guidance to people that they can submit their taxes before the beginning of the tax season. It is also to be noted that you cannot send your e-file until unless the IRS opens the software program system.

Will the Tax Refunds be Delayed?

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. Taxpayers should check Where's My Refund? on IRS.gov for their personalized refund status.

While the IRS will begin accepting returns January 23, the IRS cannot issue a refund that includes the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) before mid-February. This is due to the 2015 PATH Act law passed by Congress, which provides this additional time to help the IRS stop fraudulent refunds from being issued.

Where's My Refund? should show an updated status by February 18 for most early EITC/ACTC filers. The IRS expects most EITC/ACTC related refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or on debit cards by February 28 if taxpayers chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return.

Where is my Refund?

The IRS has a where is my refund tool which allows you to track your refund after you file a tax.

irs refund schedule
Source: Intuit Turbo Tax

You can determine what level your refund is on and when can you expect to receive it.

This way, the tax return, and processes will not be kept from you, and you will know what to expect at what time.

Tips To Speed Up Your IRS Refund Schedule

The fastest way to get your tax return is by choosing the e-file optionwhich will automatically transfer your refund to your financial account (direct deposit) and relieve you of the effort as well as added stress when waiting for your tax refund.

This transfer or deposit is known as the direct deposit. These direct deposits are conventional and are usually used by most of the taxpayers to get their refunds in a fast and safe way.

All e-files are issued with a process of receiving funds via direct deposit, and these refunds are made within a time schedule of 21 days after the filing.

Does this Apply to a State Tax Refund?

Still wondering where is my state refund? Well, all of the tax refunds as mentioned above were about federal tax refunds and did not apply to state tax refunds.

If you file a state tax refund electronically, then it will probably take more than a month to process it.

And paper submitted returns take longer to arrive, that is up to 12 weeks which is approximately three months.

Your state's tax refund can be determined by contacting the state tax agency or by checking your state's Department of Revenue website.

An Overview of the Tax Schedule

The bottom line is that the tax due date for your 2022 tax return is April 18th, 2023, which is on a Tuesday. You can see how long you should expect to get your tax refund below:

Taxes Due: Tue, April 18, 2023
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (E-File): 21 Days After E-File if eligible
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (Mail): Up to 12 weeks if eligible

IRS Refund FAQs

IRS refund phone number?

1-800-829-1954
 
The toll-free phone number to check your Federal refund status is 1-800-829-1954. Automatic service is available every day of the week, 24 hours per day, and you can check on your refund in either English or Spanish. Or you can call 1-800-829-4477 to reach the IRS TeleTax System and check the status of your tax refund.

Where is my federal tax refund?

By filling out an IRS e-file, you can get your refund in about a timeframe of 8 days, and nine out of ten taxpayers get their IRS issued refunds in as little as 21 days.

IRS accepted the return but not approved?

Did you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit on your federal return?  If your federal tax return has these include these credits, your refund will not be refunded until mid February even if you file the return early. If not, you can call 1-800-829-1954 to speak with the IRS.

Why is my refund so late?

The IRS has a where is my refund tool which allows you to track your refund after you file a tax.

When to Expect my Tax Refund in 2023?

Everyone primarily has one concern when it comes to tax season, which is when will they get their money back. For starters, you should opt for e-filing, which is must faster, and it costs nothing extra. Your tax refund will be transferred automatically into your bank account through direct deposit.

This question of tax refund is often asked by people who are new to the world of tax filing. It was difficult to predict a tax return before the introduction of e-filing.

he IRS expects most of these refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts or debit cards by Feb. 28 if people chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return. Avoid phone delays; online resources best option for help: IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest option for help.

In conclusion, the tax refund schedule time can be summed up below:

Taxes Due: Tue, April 18th, 2023
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (E-File): 21 Days After E-File, if eligible
When You Will Get Your Federal Refund (Mail): Up to 12 weeks, if eligible

Next, you can learn if you should claim 1 or 0 on your W-4 so you can boost your taxes for next year or check the best tax preparation software.

About the author

Brian Meiggs
Hi, I’m Brian Meiggs! I’m a personal finance expert and founder of My Millennial Guide, here to help you build real wealth. With a background in finance, I’ve spent years guiding people on smart, practical ways to grow their money. For stock market beginners, I recommend Acorns. It’s a simple way to start investing with just your spare change, helping you steadily grow your portfolio over time without the need to actively manage it. And if you’re interested in real estate, check out Arrived and Fundrise. I use both myself—they make it easy to start investing in property without needing huge upfront capital. These platforms are perfect for anyone looking to add real estate to their investments for passive, long-term growth. I believe these tools are great for building a balanced investment portfolio, combining stocks and real estate for a solid approach to wealth-building. You can trust this advice—my work has been featured in major publications like Business Insider, Entrepreneur, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, NASDAQ, Discover, Fox News, and MSN Money.

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