For the 2025 filing season, tax returns that claim the Child Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit generally start getting refunds released by the IRS around mid‑February, with many families not actually seeing money until late February or early March, depending on their bank and how they file.

Quick Scoop

When do “taxes with child credit” come out?

For the 2024 tax year (filed in early 2025), the IRS begins processing returns in January, but refunds that include the Additional Child Tax Credit (and often the regular Child Tax Credit on the same return) are held until mid‑February under the PATH Act fraud‑prevention rules. Many filers who use direct deposit and e‑file see their refunds hit around the first week of March (often around March 3) if there are no extra delays.

If you are talking about the 2025 tax year (income you earn in 2025, filed in 2026), your federal return will be due around mid‑April 2026, and that’s when you would actually “get” the Child Tax Credit on your tax return unless the government re‑introduces advance monthly payments. In that case, your refund timing would follow the same pattern: processing starts in January 2026, but refunds with ACTC/EITC are typically held until mid‑February, then released and paid out over the following weeks.

What about monthly Child Tax Credit payments?

Some sites show a “projected” 2025 monthly Child Tax Credit schedule (for example, July–December 2025 payments) but note that these dates are estimates and depend on whether the IRS actually offers advance monthly payments again. As of those projections, the official IRS monthly payment schedule for 2025 had not been formally released, and any timeline like “July 15, 2025 first payment” is only based on past practice, not a confirmed schedule.

Key points in simple terms

  • Returns with Child Tax Credit/Additional Child Tax Credit refunds are usually held until mid‑February , even if you file in January.
  • Many families see money around late February to early March if they filed electronically with direct deposit and had no issues.
  • For the 2025 tax year , you actually receive that year’s Child Tax Credit when you file in early 2026 , unless advance monthly payments are brought back.
  • Any detailed “payment calendar” you see for 2025 advance payments is speculative unless it comes from the IRS itself.

Little example

If you file a 2024 return on January 25, 2025, and you claim the Additional Child Tax Credit, the IRS will likely not release your refund until around February 15; then it can take several more days to reach your bank, so you might see it in your account near March 3 if everything goes smoothly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.