So you’ve survived the tax season and have a refund coming, it’s only natural to wonder, how long does it take to get a tax refund??? According to the IRS, this really depends on two things, did you file electronically or by mail?
Expected E-File Tax Refund Time: Up to 21 days
Expected Mail Tax Refund Time: Up to 42 days
So, the operative word here is up to, meaning it can be sooner OR later. But it’s fairly clear that e-file is the way to go if you want your money back earlier – assuming you don’t run into any issues with the IRS.
The IRS claims around 90% of refunds happen within 21 days and we know from past IRS data (which it no longer makes public) that most refunds are issued within a week and a half to two weeks. (Updated March 23, 2020) The IRS has announced it has extended the tax filing date from April 15th to July 15, 2020. We will update the information below accordingly in the upcoming months.
| Week | E-File Return By | Mail Refund By |
| Jan. 27, 2020 | Feb. 10, 2020 | Feb. 17, 2020 |
| Feb. 3, 2020 | Feb. 17, 2020 | Feb. 24, 2020 |
| Feb. 10, 2020 | Feb. 24, 2020 | Mar. 2, 2020 |
| Feb. 17, 2020 | Mar. 2, 2020 | Mar. 9, 2020 |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | Mar. 9, 2020 | Mar. 16, 2020 |
| Mar. 2, 2020 | Mar. 16, 2020 | Mar. 23, 2020 |
| Mar. 9, 2020 | Mar. 23, 2020 | Mar. 30, 2020 |
| Mar. 16, 2020 | Mar. 30, 2020 | Apr. 6, 2020 |
| Mar. 23, 2020 | Apr. 6, 2020 | Apr. 13, 2020 |
| Mar. 30, 2020 | Apr. 13, 2020 | Apr. 20, 2020 |
| Apr. 6, 2020 | Apr. 20, 2020 | Apr. 27, 2020 |
| Apr. 13, 2020 | Apr. 27, 2020 | May 4, 2020 |
| Apr. 20, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | May 11, 2020 |
Based on that, the chart below should give you an estimated idea of when to expect your refund based on how and when you filed it for the 2020 season.
