The IRS has already started processing 2025 tax year returns for the 2026 filing season: it began accepting and processing individual federal returns on January 26, 2026.

Key dates for 2026

  • IRS opening day for 2026 filing season (tax year 2025): Monday, January 26, 2026.
  • Federal filing deadline for most individual taxpayers: Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

That means eā€‘filed returns with direct deposit are already moving through the system, and many filers can typically expect refunds within about 21 days if there are no issues.

Quick practical scoop

  • If you eā€‘filed on or after Jan 26 with direct deposit, your return should now be in the active processing queue.
  • If you filed before Jan 26 through a tax software provider, they usually held the return and transmitted it to the IRS once the season opened, so it is treated as received on or after Jan 26.
  • Paper returns will generally take longer, often several weeks more than eā€‘filed returns.

Refund timing snapshot (typical)

While the IRS does not guarantee specific refund dates, recent seasons show that:

  • Most accurately filed eā€‘file returns with direct deposit are issued refunds within about 21 days of IRS acceptance.
  • Returns claiming certain credits (like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit) can see slightly delayed refunds due to extra fraud and identity checks.

If your status shows ā€œreceivedā€ or ā€œbeing processed,ā€ that means the IRS has your return in the system and is working through it; it does not signal a problem by itself.

TL;DR: For 2026, the IRS started processing 2025 tax returns on January 26, 2026 , and the main filing deadline is April 15, 2026.

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