By situation

When will my refund with the EITC arrive?

A return with the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit is held longer than others, by law. Here is how the dates work for the 2026 filing season.

When can a refund with the EITC arrive?

Typical earliest arrival, 2026 filing season

February 28

FiledLate January
Typical IRS delay3 weeks
Held by law untilmid-February

The hold, not the processing time, sets the date: the whole refund waits.

Read the refund timing rules →

Since the PATH Act of 2015, section 6402(m) of the Internal Revenue Code bars the IRS from issuing a refund before the 15th day of the second month after the end of the tax year, that is mid-February, when the return claims the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit. The hold covers the whole refund, including any part that does not come from those credits. The IRS says these refunds are held until mid-February to prevent fraud, and the Taxpayer Advocate Service says in practice that they cannot be issued before the end of February. After that, the usual delays apply: about 3 weeks from the date you e-filed, or 6 or more weeks from the date the IRS received a mailed return, according to the IRS refunds page. Mistakes, a missing form, identity checks or a review of the credit add time. A return filed in April is not affected by the hold, only by the processing time.

Your credit in 2025 and in 2026

Federal EITC, 2026 against 2025

+$278

Tax year 2025 (filed in 2026)$6,799
Tax year 2026 (filed in 2027)$7,077
Maximum 2026$7,316
Read the 2026 figures →

IRS and state rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Timeline of the 2026 filing season

  • Late January: the IRS opens the filing season and starts accepting returns. Employers have until January 31 to send Forms W-2.
  • Mid-February: the end of the legal hold under section 6402(m).
  • End of February: the earliest refunds with the credit start to be issued, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
  • About 3 weeks after e-filing for later returns, if nothing is wrong; 6 weeks or more for paper.

The tool above combines the hold and the IRS processing time for a filing date and method. It gives a typical earliest date, not a promise: the IRS does not guarantee a date.

What slows a refund down

The IRS refunds page lists the usual causes: math errors, a missing signature, a return that claims the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit, an amended return, an injured spouse claim, and identity theft checks. A letter from the IRS asking you to verify your identity or to send documents about a qualifying child stops the clock until you answer. The Taxpayer Advocate Service page on held refunds explains each letter.

Faster and safer

E-filing with direct deposit to an account in your own name is the fastest route. A refund split into several accounts, or sent to a prepaid card, works the same way. Avoid any offer that pays you before the IRS does in exchange for a fee: the refund is the same, the fee is a cost, and the free filing options prepare the return at no charge for most households that claim the credit.

The second year

The rules are the same every year. For tax year 2026, filed in 2027, the hold again ends in mid-February. The figures change, not the dates; the mini-tool below shows what the 2026 amounts mean for your credit.

Questions people ask

Why is my refund held when only part of it comes from the EITC?

Because the law applies to the whole refund on a return that claims the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit. The hold gives the IRS time to compare the return with the wage statements employers file by January 31, which is how it catches most false claims before paying. A return without either credit is not held.

Can a state hold my state refund the same way?

State tax departments set their own schedules. Some review state earned income credit claims before paying, and several states pay their credit only after receiving the federal data. Washington, which pays its credit through a separate application, processes it after the federal return. The state tax department page linked on each state page here gives its timing.

Where can I check the status of an EITC refund?

Use the IRS Where's My Refund tool or your IRS online account. Status is available 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, or 4 weeks after you mail a paper one. The tool shows three steps: return received, refund approved and refund sent. A refund that seems stuck can be raised with the Taxpayer Advocate Service if it causes hardship.

Check next

How to claim

File a return, add Schedule EIC, claim the state credit: free routes through IRS Free File and VITA.

Review or denial

IRS letters about the credit, Form 8862 after a denial, and the possible two-year or ten-year bans.

Child tax credit

$2,200 per child under 17 for 2025, the refundable $1,700, the $2,500 floor, and how it adds to the EITC.

EITC calculator

Earned income, children, state: the federal EITC, your state credit and the child tax credit, added up for 2025 or 2026.

IRS and state pages behind this page

Written by

Independent publisher of a calculator that adds the federal earned income credit, the state earned income credits and the child tax credit for one household, from the IRS revenue procedures and the state tax codes

IRS and state figures checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Federal and state earned income credits 2026, read in the IRS revenue procedures and each state tax code, last checked on