Fake IRS scammers will try to trick you out of your refund money, personal info, and more during tax season. Here are the warning signs to know.

Typically, a paper check will take three to eight weeks to arrive in your mailbox, but you can track exactly where your tax refund is and when you can expect to receive it with the USPS' tracking tool, Informed Delivery. The free service sends you alerts for all new mail and provides images of the front of envelopes.

Experts warn that filing close to the deadline or submitting a return with errors is a recipe for delay. During tax season, IRS employees wear a lot of hats. Filing a paper return or having your return flagged will likely lead to longer wait times.

Early results from the IRS indicate that 7.7% fewer tax returns were filed in the first two weeks of the 2025 season. Why are some delaying filing?

Tax refunds in 2025 are currently running 32% lower than they were a year ago. That gap is expected to close in the coming weeks, though, as returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit begin to be processed.

Recent IRS layoffs are the latest federal cuts, but will they impact when you get your tax refund? Yes, they might. Here's what we know.

Taxpayers with overdue federal student loan payments, or other federal debts owed to government agencies, may also have their tax refunds reduced by their owed amounts. Those who owe money in state taxes could see their federal refunds reduced or wiped out in order to pay off their state-level debts.

The average IRS tax refund is more than 32% lower so far this season, according to early filing data. Here’s what to know.