Tax season officially began last week and American taxpayers who are due to receive tax refunds are likely to see them reach their accounts within a few weeks, depending on how they filed their returns.

The IRS announced that Jan. 26 was the official start of the tax filing season, allowing taxpayers to start submitting their returns for the 2025 tax year. Taxpayers who paid more tax than they owed over the course of the tax year will receive a refund.

In announcing the beginning of the tax filing season, the IRS noted that most refunds are issued within three weeks of a taxpayer filing their return – though there are exceptions.

“While the IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days, some returns require additional review and may take longer,” the IRS said in its announcement.

TAX FILING SEASON IS OFFICIALLY HERE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

IRS CEO and Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano said Americans will get their tax refunds on time despite a partial government shutdown. (Juanmonino via Getty Images)

The IRS website said that processing a tax refund generally takes up to 21 days for e-filed returns, whereas returns sent by mail can take six weeks or more to reach the taxpayer. Refunds may also take longer if the return is in need of corrections or additional review.

Taxpayers who are preparing to file their returns should consider setting up direct deposit with the IRS if they wish to receive their refund sooner. 

The IRS also began phasing out paper refund checks last fall, though it will send paper checks if no alternative is available for the taxpayer. Options available for taxpayers without bank accounts include prepaid debit cards, digital wallets, or other limited exceptions.

Most taxpayers already receive refunds using direct deposit. In the 2025 tax filing season, 93% of the 93.5 million refunds for individual tax filers were disbursed to taxpayers via direct deposit.

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The Trump administration is expecting the largest tax refund cycle “in history” this spring 2026. (Getty Images)

The IRS offers an online “Where’s my refund?” tool for taxpayers to check on the status of their tax refund.

Taxpayers who e-file their returns can typically see their refund status within 24 hours using the “Where’s my refund?” tool, which can provide refund information for not only the current year but also the past two years.

If a taxpayer needs to amend their return after filing, it can take longer to receive their tax return. Amended returns can take up to three weeks to appear in the IRS’ system and up to 16 weeks to process.

The IRS also offers a “Where’s my amended return?” tool for taxpayers who submitted an amended return and want to track the status of their filing and any related refund.

IRS CEO WEIGHS IN ON WHETHER POTENTIAL SHUTDOWN WILL IMPACT REFUND CHECKS

Taxpayers who e-file their returns can receive their refund checks sooner than those who mail their returns. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)

A partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 1, could impact the timing of when taxpayers receive their refunds – although lawmakers have expressed optimism that it could end as early as Tuesday.

IRS CEO Frank Bisignano told Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie that there was “no way” a shutdown would impact tax refund payments and emphasized that the agency’s staff will still be at work.

During the previous government shutdown, which at 43 days was the longest in history and ran from October until mid-November last year, the IRS noted that it generally won’t be able to issue refunds except in one specific circumstance.

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“Tax refunds will generally not be paid during this period with one key exception. For taxpayers filing a Form 1040, refunds will continue to be paid on electronically filed, error-free returns that can be automatically processed and direct deposited,” the IRS wrote in October.