WASHINGTON, February 11, 2026, 05:54 (EST)
- Refunds can get delayed by the IRS if taxpayers leave out direct-deposit info or type in wrong details.
- Most e-filed returns should see refunds in under 21 days, according to the agency, though certain credits may delay payments into March.
- “Where’s My Refund?” refreshes once a day and usually displays your status within 24 hours after you e-file.
If a taxpayer skips the bank routing and account numbers on a 2026 refund request, the IRS could hold the refund. That routing number points to the correct bank. The IRS says it will reach out by mail for any missing direct deposit details—no taking account numbers by phone, text, or in person, staff say. 1
The warning comes as the IRS kicked off the 2026 filing season on Jan. 26, officially taking federal individual returns for tax year 2025. The agency is bracing for around 164 million individual returns ahead of the April 15 deadline. Most refunds land in under 21 days, IRS officials say, though some filings take longer with extra checks. IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano is pushing for e-file and direct deposit, saying those options “speed the processing” of both returns and refunds. 2
This year, there’s another twist in the tax story: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flagged the One Big Beautiful Bill as a trigger for “very large refunds” early on, since some folks left their withholding untouched. “Many taxpayers haven’t fully grasped that shift yet,” said tax adviser Mitchell Gerstein. As for the timing, Philadelphia CPA Jacob Cohen added a note of caution: “The refund could be delayed several weeks at a minimum, but likely longer.” 3
Taxpayers checking on refunds have the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” site. After an e-filed return, it typically marks the return as received within a day; paper filers wait around four weeks. Updates to the tool come daily—overnight. Users see one of three stages: return received, refund approved, or refund sent. 4
USA.gov says you’ll need your Social Security number or ITIN, your filing status, and the precise refund amount (in whole dollars) to check your status online. According to the site, refunds usually go out within 21 days after an electronic return is filed. Paper returns? Those can take more time. 5
If the IRS requires updated bank details, a CP53E notice could land in a taxpayer’s mailbox, instructing them to enter or revise account info in their IRS online account with a 30-day window. According to the IRS, there’s just one shot to fix the information online—skip the deadline, and after six weeks, a paper check gets mailed out. 6
The effort stems from a March 2025 executive order that tells the Treasury Department to halt paper checks for most federal payments, including tax refunds, by Sept. 30, 2025. According to the order, Treasury checks are 16 times more likely than electronic transfers to go missing, turn up altered, get reported as stolen, or bounce back undeliverable. Keeping the paper check system running in fiscal 2024 is expected to cost more than $657 million. 7
Tax-prep firms have long pushed direct deposit, with electronic filing and refund tracking at the core of their business models. Intuit’s TurboTax says filers usually see refunds roughly 21 days after the IRS accepts an e-filed return, but banks may tack on extra processing time. 8
This season’s refund concerns are running right into new deduction rules set for 2025 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the IRS confirmed became law on July 4, 2025. According to the agency, taxpayers will see deductions for qualified tips and for overtime pay above standard rates, though both come with income-linked caps and phaseouts. 9
The IRS points out that even straightforward returns might hit delays if corrections are needed, extra reviews crop up, or if filers claim specific credits. The agency cautions that refunds can go astray if you enter the wrong routing or account number—and urges taxpayers to call 800-829-1040 right away to halt a misplaced deposit if they catch a mistake. 10
