How Long Does it Take for the IRS to Deposit Your Refund When You E-File?

Speed up your wait time for your refund by -filing and choosing direct deposit.

The federal government offers taxpayers several options for filing tax returns and receiving refund payments. Depending on the method you choose, you can receive your refund in as little as three weeks.

Refund Times

According to the IRS, people who file their tax returns electronically typically receive their refunds within three weeks while those who file a paper return typically wait six weeks for refunds.

Checking on Your Refund

The IRS provides two ways for people to check on the status of their tax refunds. Visit the "Where's My Refund" link on the IRS homepage, and provide your social security number, filing status and the exact dollar amount of your refund to see the estimated refund issue date. You can also call the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954 and provide the same information to check on the refund date.

Please note that it takes 72 hours after you receive your e-file notification and three to four weeks after mailing a paper return for your information to be available in the system.

Direct Deposit vs. Paper Check Refund

In addition to filing electronically to decrease your refund wait time, you can also speed up the process by requesting direct deposit. Having your refund directly deposited into your checking or savings account is more secure than sending a check though the mail, allows the government to process the return quicker and saves you a trip to the bank to deposit the check.

References

• IRS.gov: Ten Things You Need to Know About Tax Refunds
• IRS: E-file for Individuals
• IRS: Where's My Refund?
• IRS: Get Your Refund Faster