IRS Refunds Hitting Bank Accounts May 12–18—Are You on the List?

So have you been refreshing your bank account every morning hoping that IRS refund eventually shows up If you re wondering if this is your week let s talk about it in real terms no tax jargon just honest answers Here s what s going on When Could the Money Authentically Hit The IRS usually sends out tax refunds within about weeks days if you Filed online Chose direct deposit Didn t mess up anything on your return So if you submitted your taxes sometime late April say between the st and th your money could very likely show up between May and May But hey even if you filed earlier it doesn t inevitably mean you ll be paid faster The IRS isn t reliably predictable Why the Heck Is It Taking So Long Let s be real it s annoying when that refund in days promise turns into weeks of silence Here s what could be slowing things down You filed on paper instead of online big delay You claimed the Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit the IRS triple-checks these to stop fraud Your return had a typo or needed correction The IRS flagged it for identity verification super common now You made changes after filing like submitting an amended return Basically even a small thing can slow your money down It s not just you How Do You Literally Check Your Refund Best way Head to the IRS website and click on Where s My Refund Here s what you ll need Your Social Assurance number Your filing status like Single or Married Filing Jointly The exact amount of your refund You ll get one of three statuses Still processing Approved Sent There s also an IRS Go app if you d rather check on your phone Still Processing What Now If you re seeing that dreaded still processing message and it s been more than weeks yeah it s annoying It doesn t perpetually mean there s a difficulty but it might mean the IRS is taking a closer look or about to send you a letter asking for more info Check your mailbox the real one just in situation If you filed late April chose direct deposit and everything was smooth this could be your week A lot of people in the same boat are expecting deposits between May and But if not try not to stress yet Delays are totally normal right now As long as you filed correctly and the IRS has your info your money is coming it just might take a little longer than expected And if you ever see weird emails or texts offering to help you get your refund faster don t click anything If it s not from IRS gov it s not legit