If you’re filing for your tax returns, you might be wondering about the IRS Refund schedule for 2021. Amidst the pandemic there are a lot of uncertainties with deadlines and schedules. Here’s the lowdown on what you need to know:
The deadline for submitting tax returns was extended to May 17th, 2021.
So, by now, you have already filed your tax returns, and are probably wondering how long it will take to get your refund.
Federal Tax Refund Schedule
The answer to that depends on how you filed your tax return, and how you want to receive your refund. For federal tax refund, here’s what you need to know:
- Electronically filed, direct deposit to bank: anywhere between 1-3 weeks
- Paper filed by mail, direct deposit to bank: 3 weeks
- Electronically filed, refund check sent through mail: anywhere between 6-8 weeks
- Paper filed by mail, refund check sent through mail: anywhere between 6-8 weeks
If you’re wondering about specific dates, you should know that the IRS usually issues over 90% of tax returns within 21 days after tax returns have been processed.
As of writing, the IRS has yet to release an official tax refund calendar for this year’s tax season (2020 tax year.) Still, we have got this estimate from WebCE based on the previous statements from the IRS over the past few years.
The IRS Refund Schedule for 2021
| Date Return Filed | Date Direct Deposit Sent | Date Paper Check Mailed |
| February 12–13, 2021 | February 26, 2021 | March 5, 2021 |
| February 14–20 | March 5 | March 12 |
| February 21–27 | March 12 | March 19 |
| February 28–March 6 | March 19 | April 26 |
| March 7–13 | March 26 | April 2 |
| March 14–20 | April 2 | April 9 |
| March 21–27 | April 9 | April 16 |
| March 28–April 3 | April 16 | April 23 |
| April 4–10 | April 23 | April 30 |
| April 11–17 | April 30 | May 7 |
| April 18–24 | May 7 | May 14 |
| April 25–May 1 | May 14 | May 21 |
| May 2–8 | May 21 | May 28 |
| May 9–15 | May 28 | June 4 |
| May 16–22 | June 4 | June 11 |
| May 23–29 | June 11 | June 18 |
| May 30–June 5 | June 18 | June 25 |
| June 6–12 | June 25 | July 2 |
| June 13–19 | July 2 | July 9 |
| June 20–26 | July 9 | July 16 |
| June 27–July 3 | July 16 | July 23 |
| July 4–July 10 | July 23 | July 30 |
| July 11–17 | July 30 | August 6 |
| July 18–24 | August 6 | August 13 |
| July 25–31 | August 13 | August 20 |
Source: WebCE
How To Track Your Federal Tax Refund
Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, there might be changes to the schedule. But fret not, the IRS has two free tools that you can use to track your tax refund.
The first one is Where’s My Refund? Tool that you can see on the IRS website. The second one is through the IRS2Go mobile app. You can download this on your smartphone.
You will need your Social Security Number or your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), your filing status, and the exact amount of your tax refund in dollars to check the status of your tax refund on the tools mentioned above.
Both tools practically work the same way, but the mobile app is only updated once every 24 hours, so you can only check once a day.
