According to the IRS, 90% of people who file tax returns online will see a direct deposit within 21 days of the IRS accepting their e-file tax return.
The short answer is about 2-3 weeks. (See the chart below)
Of course it can be as quick as 10 days for some people. It depends on a number of factors such as the complexity of your return, the volume of returns submitted, and if there’s a government shutdown or not.
Will a government shutdown in 2019 delay my tax return?
It’s possible that a partial or full government shutdown would delay tax refunds this year. The IRS has not commented on the impact of a shutdown, so it’s difficult to speculate.
When Do Tax Returns Come?
The IRS previously released a tax refund schedule that provided tax filers with a better idea on how long it takes to get a tax return or refund. They no longer create a table but based on previous IRS tax refund schedules, the table below gives an estimate on when to expect your tax returns to arrive.
Where’s My Tax Refund?
You can check the status of your tax refund online or with the IRS app. The IRS updates the refund status every 24 hours so you can check daily to see when your tax refund is processed.
If it’s been longer than 6 weeks and you still haven’t seen your tax refund, you should call the IRS.
IRS Phone Number: (517) 324-7920
Estimated 2019 IRS Tax Refund Schedule
| For Tax Return Accepted By IRS before 11:00 am between: | Direct Deposit may be sent as early as | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 21 and Jan 27, 2019 | Feb 01, 2019 | |
| Jan 28 and Feb 3, 2019 | Feb 08, 2019 | |
| Feb 4 and Feb 10, 2019 | Feb 15, 2019 | |
| Feb 11 and Feb 17, 2019 | Feb 22, 2019 | |
| Feb 18 and Feb 24, 2019 | Mar 1, 2019 | |
| Feb 25 and Mar 3, 2019 | Mar 8, 2019 | |
| Mar 4 and Mar 10, 2019 | Mar 15, 2019 | |
| Mar 11 and Mar 17, 2019 | Mar 22, 2019 | |
| Mar 18 and Mar 24, 2019 | Apr 5, 2019 | |
| Mar 25 and Mar 31, 2019 | Apr 12, 2019 | |
| Apr 01 and Apr 07, 2019 | Apr 19, 2019 | |
| Apr 08 and Apr 14, 2019 | Apr 26, 2019 | |
| Apr 15 and Apr 21, 2019 | May 3, 2019 | |
| Apr 22 and Apr 28, 209 | May 10, 2019 |
*Note: These estimated dates are based on previous IRS tax refund schedules. The IRS does not release tax refund schedules so estimates are from previous years of filing. The IRS may delay the actual processing of refunds or returns by as long as two weeks due to changes in the tax law and staffing.