The chart below shows an estimated timeline for when a taxpayer can receive their refund.
Estimated IRS Income Tax Return Chart for 2023
| IRS Accepts E-Filed Return By | Direct Deposit Sent (Paper Check Mailed 1 week later): |
|---|---|
| Jan. 23, 2023, | Feb. 3 (Feb. 10) |
| Jan. 30, 2023, | Feb. 10 (Feb. 17) |
| Feb. 6 | Feb. 17 (Feb. 24) |
| Feb. 13 | Feb. 24 (Mar. 3) |
| Feb. 20 | Mar. 3 (Mar. 10) |
| Feb. 27 | Mar. 10 (Mar 17) |
| Mar. 6 | Mar. 17 (Mar. 24) |
| Mar. 13 | Mar. 24 (Apr. 1) |
| Mar. 20 | Mar. 31 (April 7) |
| Mar. 27 | Apr. 7 (Apr. 14) |
EITC or CTC returns may have refunds postponed until March to verify credits.
Filing during the peak season may result in slightly longer delays.
| IRS Accepts Return By | Direct Deposit Sent (Or Paper Check Mailed one week later) |
|---|---|
| Apr. 3, 2023, | Apr. 14 (Apr. 21) |
| Apr. 10 | Apr. 21 (Apr. 28) |
| Apr. 17 | Apr. 28 (May 5) |
| Apr. 24 | May 5 (May 12) |
| May 1 | May 12 (May 19) |
| May 8 | May 19 (May 26) |
| May 15 | May 26 (June 3) |
| May 22 | June 3 (June 10) |
If you’ve had major income modifications this year like having a child, getting married or divorced, buying a new house, changing investments, retiring, or making any other important life changes, you might seek advice from a professional like a CPA or EA to make sure you are complying with tax laws.
Individual taxpayers won’t have such issues for this tax season, but not all. For clarification, the weeks leading up to April 18, 2023, deadline is when Americans file tax returns for the income they accepted during the 2022 calendar year, or they can file an automatic extension, which gives them an extra six months to file.
The 2023 tax deadline is on April 18 instead of April 15, why? Because April 15, falls on a Saturday and when the deadline falls on a weekend, IRS moves the deadline day to the next business day. But, on Monday, April 17, 2023, is Emancipation Day, a holiday recognized in Washington, D.C., where the IRS is located. April 17 is Patriot’s Day a state holiday in Maine and Massachusetts. As a result of the aforementioned holidays, the tax deadline for filing is April 18, 2023.
Depending on when a taxpayer files, they can receive their tax refund payments (check or direct deposit) within only 2-3 weeks.
The IRS has announced that they will start accepting tax returns on January 23, 2023. So, early tax filers who are due a refund can often see it as early as mid or late February. That’s without a costly “tax refund loan” or other product.
Nevertheless, taxpayers with the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit normally have their refunds postponed for about one month. Although the last two tax filing seasons were significantly impacted by the pandemic, and the IRS extended both deadlines, the IRS is not expected to extend the tax filing deadline for 2023.
What will happen if you can’t file your income taxes by April 15?
Taxpayers who can’t file their income taxes can easily file an extension form, “Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.” For this reason, the taxpayer can still file until October 17, 2023. No explanation or excuse is required to receive this extension, and it is automatically granted.
On the other hand, if a person will owe taxes, they still must pay those taxes by April 18, 2023, even if they have requested an extension to file. Any tax professional and most do-it-yourself tax programs can accomplish and assist with this task.
