2021 IRS refund schedule chart
| Date taxes accepted | Direct deposit sent | Paper check mailed |
|---|---|---|
| March 7 – March 13 | March 26 | April 2 |
| March 14 – March 20 | April 2 | April 9 |
| March 21 – March 27 | April 9 | April 16 |
| March 28 – April 3 | April 16 | April 23 |
For 9 out of 10 taxpayers, the IRS issued refunds in less than 21 days from the date the return was received last year. The IRS just announced when they will open eFile for 2021: February 12, 2021.
Note: Quarterly estimated taxes for the 2021 tax year are still due on April 15th, 2021. As of April 2, the IRS had received 93.2 million returns, had processed 83.7 million returns, and had issued 62.3 million tax refunds, averaging $2,893 each, according to the latest 2021 filing season statistics.
The IRS only issued refunds once per week under the old system. They now issue refunds every business day, Monday through Friday (except holidays). Due to changes in the IRS auditing system, they no longer release a full schedule as they did in previous years.
We issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. It is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue refunds for some 2020 tax returns that require review including incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit amounts, or that used 2019 income to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
They will provide an actual refund date as soon as the IRS processes your tax return and approves your refund. Most refunds will be issued in less than 21 days. You can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours after you have e-filed your return.
A review by the IRS means that taxpayers will wait longer for refund cash for many 2020 tax returns. H&R Block notes on its website: "If your return meets these criteria, the IRS will manually review your return, and it may take an additional 10 to 14 business days to receive your refund."
Due to Covid causing a shortage of IRS agents, the IRS has a backlog of returns and there is a lot of traffic on their website. This causes the website to slow down and this can cause the status bar to disappear.
If you didn't get your first or second stimulus check, don't worry — you can still claim the payment in 2021 as a tax credit. The stimulus checks are a federal tax credit for the 2020 tax year, known as the Recovery Rebate Credit. You can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit by filing your taxes in 2021 for Tax Year 2020.
The 2020 IRS account transcript shows the amount and the date of the payment.
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