Taxpayers who filed their forms early and opted for a check by mail will be the main recipients of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refunds in May 2025.
Payments would be made on or around May 30 to those who filed between May 12 and May 19. Postal checks could take an extra week, while direct deposits happen more quickly.
By May 30, cheques for returns that the IRS accepted on March 31 could be mailed. According to the federal government, postal checks sent on May 12 and direct deposits sent on May 19 will both arrive on May 30.
Why is it taking so long to get my tax refund?
January 27 was the start of the 2025 tax season, which ended on April 15. Delays may occur until mid-February for declarations that include credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Due to strong demand, presentations in March and April are delayed, which impacts the receipt of reimbursements in May.
IRS data until April 4 shows that the average refund amount in 2025 is $3,116, up 3.5% over 2024. States and tax circumstances have an impact on this number. The rise takes into account changes in credits like the ACTC and the EITC as well as adjustments for inflation.
In the upcoming days, their tax refunds would arrive.
Refunds will be issued to taxpayers whose taxes were approved between May 12 and May 19. Funds will be available to those who used direct deposit, which was submitted on May 19.
Payment will be made on the same anticipated date to those who opted for a cheque sent by mail (filed on May 12).
Although the IRS is often quite cautious about this, we attempted to obtain more information from them regarding the stimulus or quarterly estimates that were planned for May.
Regular refunds are the sole action that is planned. This demonstrates that the money collected in May only relates to 2024 declarations that were handled in 2025.
Direct deposits are given priority by the IRS for speed, with deadlines ranging from 10 to 21 days after the return is accepted.
An extra five to seven days are added for postal checks. The concentration of payments in the final week of May can be explained by physical declarations sent in April or early May.
Refunds for taxpayers who chose to mail a check in April or May won’t be available until May 30. Although entries made after May 19 may take till June, those who used direct deposit on the same dates will receive their money sooner.
More than 64.7 million direct deposits, ranging from $3,116 to $3,186, had been made by the IRS as of April 5 (the most recent data), totaling $206.255 billion.
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What to do in the event that your tax refund is delayed?
First, check the status of your IRS tax refund check using the “Where’s My Refund?” option on the IRS website or IRS2Go app if it hasn’t arrived within 21 days (for direct deposit) or 6 weeks (for mailed checks).
If it says “issued” but you haven’t received it, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 (for mailed checks) or 800-829-1954 (for direct deposit) to obtain a payment trace.
To start the replacement process for lost or stolen checks, fill out Form 3911 (“Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund”). Save copies of your initial filing and any correspondence you get from the IRS. The IRS can refund lost payments, although delays can be caused by mistakes, fraud holds, or postal problems.
