During tax season in the United States, workers and households with low or moderate incomes can take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This tax credit reduces the amount owed and, in many cases, results in a refund. This provides significant financial relief to those who meet the IRS’s requirements.
To claim the EITC, taxpayers must include it in their federal tax return. However, even with early filing, the IRS cannot issue refunds for this credit before mid-February. This measure aims to prevent fraud and ensure that payments are made correctly.
In 2025, tax season began on January 27th and will end on April 15th. Taxpayers who file electronically, select direct deposit and have no issues with the return could receive their EITC refund by March 3rd.
EITC refund payment times and dates
The Earned Income Tax Credit refund is expected to arrive about 21 days after the return is filed. However, there are some key dates that taxpayers should keep in mind when calculating when they will receive their payment.
Those who filed their returns before February 12th should have received their refunds by now, assuming the IRS did not detect any errors in the application.
On the other hand, those who filed their returns on or after February 13th will see the deposit reflected as of March 6th. To check the status of your refund, the IRS recommends that you review your return online.
It is important to note that these deadlines only apply to those who submitted their returns electronically and chose direct deposit. If you filed on paper, the wait time might be longer.
How to correct errors or claim the EITC
Taxpayers who meet the EITC requirements may forget to claim it on their tax return. In this case, an amended return can be filed using Form 1040-X.
This process allows errors to be corrected and credits to be claimed, which may result in an additional refund for the taxpayer. For more information on how to do this, see Tax Topic 308 on the IRS’s official website.
In general, if we have any questions about our Tax Refund or EITC, we can visit one of the offices to see if there is an issue with the documentation. There, we can get all of the information we need.
