2024 IRS Tax Refund Schedule And Direct Deposit Payment Calendar

By all reports tax return processing and refund payments for the 2024 tax season are going much smoother thanks to IRS investments in technology and no new stimulus payments or tax credits to administer. However further security controls and PATH act restrictions (see below) could delay potential refund payments for some filers.

When Can I Expect My Tax Refund in 2024?

According to the IRS refunds will generally be paid within 21 days. This includes accepting, processing and disbursing approved refund payments via direct deposit or check. This is regular days, not business days.

This was the basis for the estimated 2024 IRS refund schedule/calendar shown below, which has been updated to reflect the Jan 29th, 2024 start date of IRS tax return processing this year.

The refund processing schedule is organized by IRS’ WMR/IRS2Go processing status‘. The listed dates are just week ending estimates and your refund could be paid anytime during the week based on your IRS cycle code (see more on that in sections below).

Further, as many tax filers have found out over the last few years, actual refund payment dates could be much longer if your return is pulled for mandated PATH, additional identity fraud/security checks, special handling or manual agency reviews.

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Tax Return is Accepted by IRS By:
(Status = Return Received)
IRS Processing Completed By:
(Status = Refund Approved)
Est. Refund Payment (DD) By:
(Status = Refund Sent)
January 29, 2024February 5, 2024February 9, 2024
February 5, 2024February 12, 2024February 16, 2024
February 12, 2024February 19, 2024February 23, 2024
February 19, 2024February 26, 2024March 1, 2024
February 26, 2024March 4, 2024March 8, 2024
March 4, 2024March 11, 2024March 15, 2024
March 11, 2024March 18, 2024March 22, 2024
March 18, 2024March 25, 2024March 29, 2024
March 25, 2024April 1, 2024April 5, 2024
April 1, 2024April 8, 2024April 12, 2024
April 8, 2024April 15, 2024April 19, 2024
April 15, 2024April 22, 2024April 26, 2024
April 22, 2024April 29, 2024May 3, 2024
April 29, 2024May 6, 2024May 10, 2024
May 6, 2024May 13, 2024May 17, 2024
May 13, 2024May 20, 2024May 24, 2024
May 20, 2024May 27, 2024May 31, 2024
May 27, 2024June 3, 2024June 7, 2024
June 3, 2024June 10, 2024June 14, 2024
June 10, 2024June 17, 2024June 21, 2024
June 17, 2024June 24, 2024June 28, 2024
June 24, 2024July 1, 2024July 5, 2024
July 1, 2024July 8, 2024July 12, 2024
July 8, 2024July 15, 2024July 19, 2024
July 15, 2024July 22, 2024July 26, 2024
July 22, 2024July 29, 2024August 2, 2024
July 29, 2024August 5, 2024August 9, 2024
August 5, 2024August 12, 2024August 16, 2024
August 12, 2024August 19, 2024August 23, 2024
August 19, 2024August 26, 2024August 30, 2024
August 26, 2024September 2, 2024September 6, 2024
September 2, 2024September 9, 2024September 13, 2024
September 9, 2024September 16, 2024September 20, 2024
September 16, 2024September 23, 2024September 27, 2024
September 23, 2024September 30, 2024October 4, 2024
September 30, 2024October 7, 2024October 11, 2024
October 7, 2024October 14, 2024October 18, 2024
October 14, 2024October 21, 2024October 25, 2024
October 21, 2024October 28, 2024November 1, 2024
October 28, 2024November 4, 2024November 8, 2024
November 4, 2024November 11, 2024November 15, 2024
November 11, 2024November 18, 2024November 22, 2024
November 18, 2024November 25, 2024November 29, 2024
November 25, 2024December 2, 2024December 6, 2024
December 2, 2024December 9, 2024December 13, 2024
December 9, 2024December 16, 2024December 20, 2024
December 16, 2024December 23, 2024December 27, 2024
December 23, 2024December 30, 2024January 3, 2025
December 30, 2024January 6, 2025January 10, 2025

The estimated IRS refund payment dates in the chart above should not be construed as official IRS payment dates. To get the exact date of your refund payment check the IRS’ Where is My Refund (WMR) site or your IRS transcript.

How to read the IRS refund processing schedule

The estimated refund payment dates in the table above are based on past years and IRS processing guidelines. It shows the date your refund will be processed and paid based on the week your return is accepted and refund is approved by the IRS.

The federal IRS refund processing schedule is only for electronically filed returns (e-file) done thorough online tax software providers and assumes your tax return was in order. I.e accepted by the IRS via the WMR tool and status is equal to “Return Received”.

Once your tax return is successfully processed by the IRS, it will go to the “Refund Approved” status, after which it goes to refund sent when the payment is disbursed by the IRS.

Paper filed returns can take considerably longer and could take 1 to 2 weeks longer than the direct deposit payment dates.

Average IRS Refund

Based on the latest statistics from the 2023 tax year the IRS processed over 160 million returns with the average refund payment being $3,089. This was 5% lower than the prior year.

Why Your Refund Payment Could be Delayed

There are many reasons your tax return processing could be delayed beyond what is shown in the standard schedule above. This includes submission errors, IRS reconciliation issues or security/fraud related issues.

This is why many filers are see the “Return Processing Has Been Delayed Beyond The Normal Timeframe (Tax Topic 152)” message during tax season.

Note that as in previous years, if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) your refund may have been delayed beyond the standard processing times due to the PATH act provisions.

This is to allow for fraud and dependent verification on these dependent related tax credits. See sections below for more on the PATH act and refund release timeline.

For those experiencing ongoing issues or delays with their refunds check out this article on “Why is it taking so long to get my refund.” 

IRS Test Batches – Early Refunds

A week or two prior to the IRS officially accepting and processing tax returns, they will often run several test batches with various major tax software providers to “test” and “verify” their systems are integrating externally and processing returns correctly.

This will result in WMR status updates for a small subset of tax payers picked in these early test batches, but refunds won’t be paid until after the official IRS processing date.

Note that early refunds paid as a result of test batch processing are not the same as those via refund advance loans.

When Should Taxpayers contact the IRS?

The IRS has said that phone and walk-in representatives can only research the status of your refund if it has been 21 days or more since you filed electronically, or more than 6 weeks since you mailed your paper return or if the IRS WMR tool directs you to contact them. 

You can also see earlier updates from prior tax seasons and the thousands of comments below this article around dealing with delayed tax refund processing issues!

So stay tuned and subscribe to get the latest updates and helpful articles for the upcoming tax season. I also post regular Youtube video updates on tax related topics.

Help! My WMR status bar has disappeared

As many folks have commented, the WMR tracker status bar may disappear or not be shown if your return falls under IRS review after it is received (Status Bar 1: Return Received) because additional information is needed for your return.

This can happen even if you previously checked WMR and it showed the status as “Return Received.”  An explanation or instructions will be provided depending on the situation (e.g. PATH message or Tax Topic 152 as discussed below)

But don’t panic when this happens. The IRS still has your return but things are essentially on hold until the IRS gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return . You will either get directions on WMR or IRS2Go or the IRS will contact you by mail. See more in this video.

Follow the provided instructions and return any additional information ASAP to get your potential refund and reduce any further delays. Talk to your accountant, tax advocate or tax professional if you are not clear on what the IRS is asking for or you don’t get an update after 21 days.

PATH Act and Tax Topic 152

Two of the most common refund related messages showing up on the WMR tool after your tax return is submitted are the PATH message and to Refer to Tax Topic 152. 

The PATH message on WMR/IRS2Go relates to the the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH Act of 2015) and is to notify you that the IRS is legally required to hold and further verify tax returns that include EITC or ACTC.

While the IRS can continue to process affected returns, they cannot issue refund payments until the PATH act lifts. This generally happens from mid-February. See more in this article on PATH act processing for the current tax season.

Path ACT Refund
PATH Refund Delays

The PATH message does not mean your tax return is done and your tax refund is approved. It simply means the IRS systems have identified you are claiming the (EITC) or the (ACTC) on your tax return, and so further processing and payments related to your refund are held up for the statutory hold period (3 weeks after the start of tax season).

Once the PATH restriction is lifted, the IRS will process these returns and pay refunds per the above schedule. You may see Tax code 570 with a Notice 971 code (IRS review adjustment) if your refund is adjusted for other reasons.

When you see the Refer to Tax Topic 152 message it means your refund is being processed and the IRS is directing you its generic refund page for more information. There is not much you can do but wait to see if the IRS finds any issues or requires further verification of your identity or items in your tax return.

A Tax Topic 151 message simply means that you’re getting a tax offset which may result in your refund being less than you expected. The reason for this is that the federal government has “offset” or deducted monies from your tax refund to cover debts you owe other federal agencies. See this article to get more details on why your refund was offset.

You will get an official notice letter/report explaining the actual offset and adjustments to your tax return, and details on how to appeal this action – but likely it will delay you getting your refund.

While not great news, the silver lining here is that the IRS has processed your return and your adjusted refund (where applicable) should be on its way. You will see code 846 on your transcript when the refund has been issued.

What is the IRS Cycle Code on my Transcript?

While the above IRS refund schedule can give you an estimated date for you refund once approved (WMR/IRS2Go status) by the IRS, it may take a while to get there.

So some folks use their IRS tax transcript (free from your IRS account) which shows various tax processing codes and a “cycle code.” This is an eight digit number that indicates when your tax return posted to the IRS Master File (IMF).

The cycle code is updated regularly and when combined with the tax topic code, can provide insight into your tax refund status, processing stages and potential direct deposit date. You can see a deeper discussion on IRS cycle codes in this article.

IRS Tax Transcript Cycle Code

If I can see current year processing details on my IRS tax transcript does it mean I am getting my refund soon?

This question comes up a lot and I have seen a few comments on this suggesting that that if you can see current tax season processing details on your (free) transcript then your refund is on the way. But this is not a factual statement.

The IRS is very clear that just being able to see processing details on your IRS transcript does not mean you will imminently be getting a refund and is among the common myths and misconceptions repeated in social media.

For the current tax season you transcript will update several times in line with your cycle code (discussed above) and IRS processing. The official IRS line is that checking the WMR or IRS2Go tool is the best and official way to check your refund status.

However I have read a number of comments here and on other tax sites saying that when WMR/IRS2Go provides limited information on the refund, your IRS transcript can be a good source to get more details. The is especially the case if your refund processing has been stuck for a while.

IRS system issues and refund delays

Every year the IRS has issues with processing returns in a timely manner and so a number of people see delays in getting their refunds or updates in the status of their refund on the WMR tool/app.

The IRS has said most system processing issues have now been resolved and new funding will be used to upgrade systems.

But given the various legacy systems in place and sheer volume of processing to be done, including prior season backlogs of paper and amended returns, I would not be surprised to see system issues arise again this year, which mean more delays in processing and paying refunds. See more around processing delays in this video.

See these articles for average refund amounts in past tax seasons and refund processing times by state

Amended Tax Return Refund Schedule

While the IRS promises to have regular return refunds processed within 21 days for nine out of ten tax payers, it does take quite a bit longer to receive a refund if you amended your tax return.

Generally you will have to wait up to 16 weeks more for the IRS to process amended returns since they prioritize regular returns. Also note that the standard”Where’s my refund” service from the IRS does not track amended tax return status’. You need to instead use the IRS tool, “Where’s My Amended Return.”

You can also access the tool via phone by calling 1-866-464-2050.  Only call the IRS to follow up on delayed amended return refunds after 12 weeks. The number to call is 1-800-829-1040.

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4,006 thoughts on “2024 IRS Tax Refund Schedule And Direct Deposit Payment Calendar”

  1. People, WMR said check back after feb 15 for a ddd, not beforehand or on but after. Those who filed in advance the irs didn’t open the tax season until the 23rd so count 21 days from that date if you didn’t claim credits like EITC or ACIC. If you did, path clearly stated funds to start going out on the 15th. Wmr take 24hrs to update so if approved the update will show tonight

    Reply
  2. Reminder the (path) ACT state’s AFTER the 15th NOT on the 15th to check WMR,,,,here in Tennessee I’ve only see big up dates where bars do move Everytime on Saturday morning 3:00am to 6:00am,, so check bank’s each day for deposits, because you could get your money before you see a chance on WMR, not saying some other people do get other updates through the week but big updates happens Saturday morning,, The IRS is going to push for every minute of the 15th untill the 16th

    Reply
    • I don’t have Extra Income Credit or Child Care Credit and it has been now 28 days. I don’t have anything except this

      Your tax return is still being processed.

      A refund date will be provided when available.

      Reply
      • James you need to call asap then!! With no credits there’s no reason why it has taken this long. From the 23rd to today is 20-21 days so to see nothing would concern me. Have you tried calling??

        Reply
    • [Your Personal
      Tax Data
      Social Security Number

      or IRS Individual Taxpayer
      Identification Number:
      ***-**-1*8*4
      Filing Status:
      Single
      Your Expected
      Refund Amount:
      $?,???.00
      Refund Status Results
      Print. Take the survey.

      Your tax return is still being processed.

      A refund date will be provided when available.

      Reply
  3. Today makes 30 days IRS accepted my return. I still have path message. I’m getting very upset. I too have bills/ obligations to make. This is very crazy. I have waited long enough. I want what belongs to ME!! I couldn’t sleep last night worrying about my money. IRS has caused me to have some sleepless nights!!!!

    Reply
  4. No IRS Deposit, WMRs is down, and No Updates. I’m so annoyed with the IRS. They make changes, delay taxes and can’t keep up with the public for when it’s time for answers. I want MY DAMN MONEY:-(

    Reply
    • I filed on Feb 3 was accepted same day. I don’t even show a status that says they’re processing it. You call them and they act as if you are asking them personally to deposit money into your account. All I want to know is “if you received the damn 1040 form?” and they refuse to even answer that! I am over it! Bless whoever allowed this page because its honestly the only thing keeping me sane!

      Reply
  5. I am going down to IRS this morning and ask them where my refund is. It has been 28 days now. Maybe I can get some answers from IRS when they are going to send out refunds. I will update you as soon as I visit IRS today at 8am (PST) Wish me good luck with the IRS visit.

    Reply
    • I have the same message as you and was accepted on the 27th. I have no dependents just a easy 1040, married filing separate, filed through Turbo Tax. Very frustrating. Never had this happen in the past. IRS wont tell me anything, and nothing in the mail.

      Reply
  6. I thinking tonight at 12 am (PST) Washington State on 12-16-2017 that IRS will release funds do to the extra income credit and Child Care Credit. They have to account for the whole 15th of February for the Child care Credit and Extra income Credit. So maybe tonight at 12 am (PST) Washington State on 02-16-2017 IRS should start sending out refunds.

    Reply
  7. Maybe tonight? 12-16-2016 at 12 am? Nothing in my Bank account Balance $0.00 and Bills are getting way behind.
    I heard IRS is working this Saturday due to the Holiday Monday. They will or should send out a lot of refunds this week and weekend.

    Reply
  8. Mine is still the same at 2:15 am (PST) Washington State. Your tax return is still being processed.

    A refund date will be provided when available.
    28 Days now. Getting Frustrated with IRS.

    Reply
  9. Check back after 7am EST or 4 am PST, this is when TurboTax reports I receive an update from IRS every morning. Also just keep checking your bank accounts and the IRS record of accounts transcript for code 864. I think we most definitely will have our money by Friday, let’s keep the faith :)

    Reply
  10. I don’t think it will change until Thursday. I really appreciate the help of reading everyone reviews. All my questions were answered by reading. Good luck to you all

    Reply
  11. Has anyone else’s WMR changed from “path”, to now for the last 24 hrs saying it can’t find any matching info on me? It’s doing this for both(filled seperate) my Husband and I. Filled 1/20, accepted 1/23, EIC and ACT, path message since around the end of last month.

    Reply
  12. And now I have a question. I Filed on 01/22/17 was accepted 01/23/17, i understand the IRS cannot and WILL NOT provide any information on my return until Feb 15th. And for anyone not claiming the qualifying child tax credits, the IRS doesn’t like to talk to you unless a full 21 days has passed. Well, Seeing as how WMR has not updated tonight as we all believed it would, do I have to wait an addt’l 21 days after Feb 15th to get the IRS to help me or was my 21 days included in my PATH wait time?

    Reply
  13. Yah I got my refund approved and my direct deposit is today yet they have not even sent it today according to the website and I currently have 4 days to pay legal fees or goto jail and currently am in limbo and waiting for my job to get back to me

    Reply
  14. So, I just wanted to chime in here after reading everyone’s discussion. I have checked and refreshed WMR repeatedly and it was down tonight for awhile. I just checked again and its no longer down however, the PATH msg that was there before is still there as its been for weeks now. No change at all and I filed 01/22/17 IRS accepted 01/23/17.

    Reply
  15. When is IRS Where’s My Refund Available?
    Sunday 12:00 am (Midnight) to 7:00 pm
    Monday 12:00 am (Midnight) to 6:00 am
    Tuesday 3:30 am to 6:00 am
    Wednesday 3:30 am to 6:00 am
    Thursday 3:30 am to 6:00 am
    4 more rows

    Reply
  16. My status states check after february 15 but its been over 21 days after I was accepted and have a 152 code.

    Reply
    • Me too I seen on Facebook on the “refund schedule” page that they are not updating the WMR page til after the 15th so the 16th is when they will update it… I’m getting beyond frustrated with this crap!

      Reply
    • I give up lol we will get it when we get it we all need our taxes for our own purposes but now it’s just no hope be patient and before u know it it will be deposit

      Reply
  17. I just tried the MWR and it said the site is unavailable please try back later. It is 3:21 am est. I filled my tax return and it was accepted on Jan 29, I am married filing joint and I have no children or anything but still shows nothing ??? I was able to order a transcript but I am boogled because according to the payment schedule I should have received the refund dd by now just confused and concerned ???

    Reply
    • SAME BOAT!!! So annoyed!! I filed 1/24 accepted same day, processing until last Friday was able to order transcripts, and message changed to a more generic processing message and TT152 went away……Still has my expected refund amount…..21 days was Tuesday this week for me.

      Reply
  18. Checked mine still the same. Your tax return is still being processed.

    A refund date will be provided when available.
    Getting disappointed with IRS. (I NEED MY MONEY ) it has been 28 days now. Rrrrrrrrrrr!

    Reply
    • You need to call them and they will verify you and you will see your money soon but call them asap trust me it happened to me last year

      Reply
  19. am i the only one who has not claimed any of the child credits and still doesnt have a ddd? filed feb 3 accepted same day and still no up to date info. Wmr bar remains on received return

    Reply
  20. I just found this site – I am so nervous – did my taxes via turbotax electronically. Submitted Feb 2 and accepted at 11:38 PM on Feb 2 – it just sits there with Return Accepted! It has been 13 days now and that dang bar has not moved. I hope there is not something wrong. Turbotax is supposed to be accurate so I hope there are no mistakes. At least reading all your comments are helping me calm down :)

    Reply
  21. I work the overnight shift and this shift so far has been the longest ever waiting to see what happens. I can’t wait for 6 am to get her.

    Reply
  22. Am I the only one who hasn’t claimed any of those credits …. filed feb 3… but wmr status is still at return accepted ….

    Reply
  23. Nothing!!! Accepted 1/30 filed eitc and actc still only 1 bar on wmr tool and topic 152. No (path) MSG. But I don’t understand why if I filed those credits why I havent received the path MSG due it being the last day to hold any path filers?

    Reply
  24. Omg I have been quite long enough I want my money quicker than you can say asap rockey I clam the Etic and actc the government is full of s____!!!! Excuse my French I hope I can at least see a date of dd today huh___

    Reply
  25. honestly I’m so tired of the IRS they want to take their sweet time refunding people my cousin owed them $400 in state they took that out quick and sent him a letter 4 days later telling him they took it his total state refund was $1,600 and he still didn’t receive his remaining yet thanks to everyone who helped me out I just think they will give it to u as late as they can so there for I give up lol

    Reply
  26. I filed and was accepted for everything feb 3rd. Just wondering when i should receive my state refund. I efiled on turbo tax

    Reply
  27. midnight by what time zone…washington?

    I wonder up to what date of accepted they are going to release? and will they actually be on time?

    pretty sure their site is going to come tumbling down with all the traffic…and then we still won’t know…

    Reply
  28. I filed Feb. 2, claimed the EIC, today at noon Jackson Hewitt sent me an email and text saying… Funds have been deposited into your bank account. It could take 48-72 hours for your bank to process the direct deposit. Thank you for using Jackson Hewitt. I called JH to ask about this and they said they received a notification that my refund has been approved, deposit sent and pending in my bank account. I called my debit card(I use Smione visa paycard from child support) and they confirmed this.

    Reply
  29. Jazzy,,,,hands down to you answering everyones questions , and having what it takes under pressure,, I’ve read all your post from day one, and you never once been rude answering the same question,,,I admire your work,,,,we all do,,,they need more of you working for the IRS hope to see you on here next year,,,God bless ,,,

    Reply
    • No disrespect intended but Jazzy does not work for the IRS, if that is what you are thinking. He has been very helpful to people, but he has also been wrong about several tax codes.

      Reply
    • I should have given up awhile back. Several people have called me profane names, because I explained what the PATH Act entails. People come here to complain about not receiving their taxes for a prolonged period of time. I get it, I really do. Everyone wants their money sooner than later. However, The PATH Act is going to save tax payers billions of dollars.

      The worst part of it is not knowing your refund status; nevertheless, it is unnecessary to call people profane names.

      Reply
      • I suppose I could provide the same types of responses as some commenters do — positive-natured but lacking facts as it pertains to IRS tax codes, not to mention congressional laws. Whatever floats your boat! We now live in a country of alternative facts . . . I suppose I should get used to people who eat them up.

        Reply
        • A person’s likeability does not equate to them having recondite information regarding the IRS, tax refunds, and congressional law. I am no expert — I never claimed to be — but I do understand what I read from the author of this website, in addition to the IRS website. I am right there with you, James. I give up! Maybe for different reasons than yourself, but I nonetheless give up!!

  30. I hope my refund is there by friday at least cause its been 27 days since my return was accepted. Hopefully we all get goot news at 5am

    Reply
  31. Hey all, sorry if I am just re-asking the same question that people already asked. I submitted my taxes and they were accepted on Jan 23rd, single, no EIC or children to claim. My refund is larger than last year because I paid a lot of student loan interest. Just like all of you are saying when I check the WMF it just says “Your tax return is still being processed. A refund date will be provided when available.” Is something wrong with my refund?

    Reply
  32. All right (path) Acts , we are almost on count down ,,,,keep fingers crossed,,,,and let’s get this date,,and get our boats in the water,,,

    Reply
  33. I seriously am hoping the IRS don’t take forever but when u owe the, money they are quick to take it but when it comes to refund they want to take their time lol I’m hoping we all get our money @ 12am

    Reply
  34. Hey guys so tonight is the 15th are we are going to check our bank accounts ? I did my taxes since last month on the 25th hoping to see something tonight

    Reply
    • I haven’t received nothing yet I did mine last month the 23rd and they were accepted the same day and I’m still getting the path message

      Reply
  35. Goodnight ALL, I am calling it a night. Gonna try to finish celebrating the last 2 1/2 hours of Valentine Day….where are those chocolate cover strawberries…I going to go feed my face …until tomorrow; hope you all sleep peacefully and wake up to a Bright Sunny Beautiful Day with a deposit pending in your account…dream it and claim it…and it will be YOURS…:-). I am such a Poet uh?

    Reply

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