Taxpayers preparing for the 2025 tax season should know their tax refund dates depend on when you file your claim or the payment method you have selected in the return to receive your tax refund.
Taxpayers who plan to claim tax credits like EITC and ACTC (Refundable credit) with their federal tax returns should know the PATH Act restrictions apply to their tax refunds. The PATH Act restrictions delay the tax refund, let’s see when you can expect your PATH Act refund in 2025.
PATH Act 2025 Refund Dates
The Internal Revenue Agency processes the tax refund in 3 weeks if filing the tax return electronically. The refund sent date depends on the time you file and your return is accepted along with the payment method, so if you have e-filed and selected direct deposit, you may receive the payment earliest.
However, if you have claimed the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and ACTC (Additional Child Tax Credit) with your tax return, the PATH Act restricts the agency from processing the refund before 15 Feb.
So, taxpayers must understand even if they file the 2024 tax return early, the tax refund will be processed after 15 Feb 2025. Hence, based on the direct deposit and physical check duration, the taxpayers can mark the following refund calendar for receiving the PATH Act refund:
Tax return Accepted | Direct Deposit ( within 21 days) | Paper Check ( within a month or two) |
21 Jan – 16 Feb 2025 | 25 Feb 2025 | 07 March 2025 |
16 Feb – 28 Feb 2025 | 05 Mar2025 | 14 Mar 2025 |
01 Mar – 10 Mar 2025 | 14 Mar 2025 | 24 Ma 2025 |
11 Mar – 20 Mar 2025 | 28 Mar 2025 | 07 Apr 2025 |
21 Mar – 30 Mar 2025 | 07 Apr 2025 | 16 Apr 2025 |
31 Mar – 08 Apr 2025 | 16 Apr 2025 | 23 Apr 2025 |
08 Apr – 15 Apr 2025 | 23 Apr 2025 | 05 May 2025 |
What does the PATH Act refer to?
The Protecting Americans Against Tax Hikes Act was passed during the Obama presidency in 2015 to prevent fraudulent claims on the tax credits and ensure only the needy citizens receive the tax break through these credits.
Under the PATH Act, the EITC/ ACTC and other 50 temporary tax credits are restricted. Under the act, the IRS is instructed to not process the tax credits tax refund before 15 February because the tax refunds are processed on a first come first served basis.
So, to prevent the fraud claim from getting processed the federal government has added this restriction to allow enough assessment time and reduce the fraudulent claims rate.
Possible reasons that can delay your PATH Act refund
The IRS tax refund can be delayed for many other reasons apart from the PATH Act that every taxpayer should understand to avoid any delay in their tax refund:
- The refund can be delayed due to the missing or incorrect information you entered into the tax return that may create problems in your refund approval or tax return acceptance.
- You may have entered the wrong bank details or your bank account might not be active due to some reasons that may revert your direct deposit payment to the agency.
- Your mailing address is wrong or you have shifted to some other place and forgot to report to the agency, which could lead to a missing physical check, so remember to report the agency if you change your mailing address.
- You have due IRS tax debt that the IRS will recover from your tax refund, however, the agency would notify you before deducting the amount from your tax refund to recover the tax debt. So, if you are facing any financial hardships or you really need a refund, you can request the IRS with a valid reason to not cut your tax refund.
- Sometimes the tax refund may also get delayed due to a high volume of returns during the peak season, it mostly happens during the last days of tax return filing.
How to track your PATH Act refund status?
Taxpayers who wish to get an update on their tax refund status can track the refund status through the IRS Where’s My Refund tool, specially designed to let taxpayers get the update on their refund easily.
Taxpayers can access this tool on the IRS mobile app or on the official website and get the exact status recorded in the IRS system. The tool tells the refund status in three phrases – Return accepted, Refund approved, and finally Refund Sent.
Taxpayers can check their PATH ACT refund based on the timing of filing their tax return or the tax year, such as, the e-filers can check the tax refund status within a day or 48 hours, the mailed tax return filers can check the status in 3 to 4 weeks, whereas taxpayers who have filed prior-year tax return, they can track the status within 3 to 4 days.
Actions to take when your PATH Act refund is missing
The taxpayers should know if the status shows the same for more than 3 or 4 weeks, or if they have not received the tax refund on the scheduled date, they must contact the IRS. Though it rarely happens in the case of electronically sent tax refunds, it may happen with physical checks.
In that case, you must call the agency at 800 829 1954 or speak to the agent at 800 929 1040 to inquire about your tax refund. The authority will assist you in understanding the cause of the delay and how you can receive your tax refund.
The 2025 tax season in the US will begin in a month. The taxpayers planning to claim tax credits with tax returns should be ready to receive the late refund after 15 Feb 2025.