If you filed your taxes in April, the time to receive your tax refund depends mainly on how you filed:
- If you e-filed with direct deposit, you can generally expect your refund within about 21 days (up to 3 weeks) after the IRS has accepted your return.
- If you mailed a paper return with direct deposit, it could take 4 to 8 weeks.
- If you mailed a paper return and requested a refund check by mail, it could take 4 to 9 weeks.
These estimates start counting after the IRS has accepted your return, and actual timing can vary due to factors like errors in the return, IRS processing delays, or bank processing times. Since you filed in April, if your return was e-filed and accepted promptly, you might already expect the refund by late April to early May. If you filed a paper return in April, the refund could arrive anytime between late May and early June depending on processing speed. You can check the status of your refund anytime using the IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool or the IRS2Go app, starting about 24 hours after your e-file is accepted or about 3-4 weeks after mailing a paper return.
