The IRS will soon start the 2026 tax season. For the tax year 2025, the electronic and on-paper filing will start in early January 2026. They will start processing the refund most probably in the third week of January 2026, and in a few days the refund will be received.
The IRS will no longer issue paper check refunds beginning in tax season 2026; they will now be received only through direct deposit. The refund receipt timeline remains unchanged: 21 days after filing electronically and 6 weeks for filing on paper.
Here, we have shared everything you need to know about the IRS Tax Season 2026. Read this article thoroughly to check when it will begin, what the expected refund schedule is, how to check refund status, what to do if the refund isn’t received on time, and more.
When will the 2026 IRS tax season begin?
The 2026 tax season will begin most probably on January 21, 2025, as per various media sources. If it begins on this date, they will start processing the refund from this date for the taxpayers who will have filed electronically without claiming Earned Income Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit.
And in the case of on-paper filing, you have to wait until late February 2026 to get it processed. If you e-file by claiming CTC or EITC, you have to wait until February 15, 2026, to get it processed, because the PATH Act stops the IRS from processing refunds before this date.
What’s the 2026 IRS Tax Refund Expected Schedule?
The IRS doesn’t release any schedule to get the refund. But with the help of the refund timeline and last year’s trend, we have prepared a schedule to receive it.
Electronic Filing
| Filing Date | Received | Accepted | Refund Sent |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Jan 11, 2026 | Jan 24, 2026 | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Jan 17, 2026 | Jan 18, 2026 | Jan 31, 2026 | Feb 5, 2026 |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Jan 25, 2026 | Feb 7, 2026 | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Jan 31, 2026 | Feb 1, 2026 | Feb 14, 2026 | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Feb 7, 2026 | Feb 8, 2026 | Feb 21, 2026 | Feb 26, 2026 |
| Feb 14, 2026 | Feb 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2026 | Mar 5, 2026 |
| Feb 21, 2026 | Feb 22, 2026 | Mar 7, 2026 | Mar 12, 2026 |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Mar 1, 2026 | Mar 14, 2026 | Mar 19, 2026 |
| Mar 7, 2026 | Mar 8, 2026 | Mar 21, 2026 | Mar 26, 2026 |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Mar 15, 2026 | Mar 28, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
On-paper Filing
| Filing Date | Received | Accepted | Refund Sent |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Jan 17, 2026 | Feb 14, 2026 | Feb 21, 2026 |
| Jan 17, 2026 | Jan 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2026 | Feb 28, 2026 |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Jan 31, 2026 | Feb 28, 2026 | Mar 7, 2026 |
| Jan 31, 2026 | Feb 7, 2026 | Mar 7, 2026 | Mar 14, 2026 |
| Feb 7, 2026 | Feb 14, 2026 | Mar 14, 2026 | Mar 21, 2026 |
| Feb 14, 2026 | Feb 21, 2026 | Mar 21, 2026 | Mar 28, 2026 |
| Feb 21, 2026 | Feb 28, 2026 | Mar 28, 2026 | Apr 4, 2026 |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Mar 7, 2026 | Apr 4, 2026 | Apr 11, 2026 |
| Mar 7, 2026 | Mar 14, 2026 | Apr 11, 2026 | Apr 18, 2026 |
| Mar 14, 2026 | Mar 21, 2026 | Apr 18, 2026 | Apr 25, 2026 |
How to check the 2026 IRS tax refund?
To check the refund status for the 2026 IRS tax season, please follow the step-by-step instructions available below.
1). Go to the official website of the Internal Revenue Service at irs.gov/.
2). On the web portal you will see an option of ‘Get your refund status’; tap on it.
3). Click on the ‘Check your refund’ and get redirected to another page.
4). Enter your Social Security Number, tax year 2025, and filing status as Single, Married-Filing Joint Return, Married-Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widow(er) / Surviving Spouse.
5). Fill in your refund amount and click on the Submit button to check that it is received, accepted, or sent by the IRS.
What if the IRS 2026 tax refund is delayed?
Note that after e-filing, you are all set to get a refund within 3 weeks, and in the case of on-paper filing, you have to wait 6 weeks. You will get the refund within 21 days only if you have provided all details, and in case of any error, you may have to wait for a long time.
The on-paper filing refunds are received as per schedule only if there is no error. In case of any mistake, you may have to file an amended return to receive the payout. Once the direct deposit is sent, it is received within a few minutes; a technical error may delay it by 72 hours.
Disclaimer: IRS Tax Season 2026 details are for general awareness only; official dates and rules are set by the IRS.