The IRS began accepting and processing 2025 tax returns (including those claiming the Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit) on January 26, 2026, for the 2026 filing season.

Quick Scoop: Key Dates

  • The 2026 filing season for 2025 individual returns opened January 26, 2026.
  • You can eā€‘file a return with the Child Tax Credit (CTC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) from that date; there is no special later ā€œstart dateā€ just because you claim these credits.
  • However, if your return claims the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the ACTC, your refund will be held until at least late February due to federal antiā€‘fraud rules, even if you file on opening day.

When will CTC/ACTC refunds arrive?

  • The IRS expects most refunds for returns with EITC or ACTC to be available in bank accounts or on debit cards by around March 2, 2026, for taxpayers who chose direct deposit and have no other issues with their return.
  • A typical rule of thumb:
    • Eā€‘file + direct deposit, no EITC/ACTC: often 10ā€“21 days once accepted.
* Eā€‘file + direct deposit with EITC/CTC/ACTC: late February to early March, regardless of how early you file.

Child Tax Credit context for 2025ā€“2026

  • For the 2025 tax year (returns filed in 2026), the federal Child Tax Credit remains up to 2,200 dollars per qualifying child, with up to 1,700 dollars per child refundable (ACTC), subject to income limits.
  • The core rules to claim it remain the same: your child must have a Social Security number, meet relationship, age, and residency tests, and you generally claim it on Form 1040 with Schedule 8812 attached.

Simple example

If you file electronically on February 1, 2026, and claim both the Child Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit (or EITC), your return can still be accepted as soon as the IRS processes it after January 26.
But your refund will probably not show up until late February or around early March, assuming there are no errors or extra reviews on your return.

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