Tax Tips Find Out When Your Tax Refund Will Be Sent Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this: Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Written by Philip Taylor Published Mar 15, 2011 2 min read Once you prepare your taxes and see that you will be receiving a refund, it’s smart to want to get that money as soon as you can. Therefore, a common question during this initial phase of the tax season is “when will I get my refund?” Many people have already filed and they just want to know when the IRS will do their part to process the return and cut a check or make a direct deposit. Using the 2011 IRS e-file Refund Cycle Chart To help you estimate when you might expect to receive your tax refund, the IRS has put together a refund cycle chart showing the dates when refund checks and direct deposits should be sent. The chart is only for those filers that filed their returns electronically (e-file). The refund cycle chart includes information for those e-filers who have chosen either direct deposit or paper check as their method of receiving their refund. To use the chart, simply locate the date range in the far left column that corresponds to the date range in which you filed your taxes. Note that the return should have been transmitted and accepted by 11:00 am (I’m assuming this is Eastern time zone) on the last day of the date range. Then refer to one of the next two columns to determine when your refund will be sent by the IRS. The first range on the chart says that if your tax return was “transmitted and accepted (by 11:00 am) between… Jan 14 and Jan 20, 2011” your direct deposit should be sent by Jan 28, 2011. Paper check refunds for this same period would be mailed on Feb 4, 2011. Take note that those dates represent when the refund will be “sent” and “mailed”, and not necessarily received by you. Taking an example from the current week, your return needs to be transmitted and received by 11:00 am on Feb 17, 2011 in order for your refund to be sent by direct deposit on Feb 25, 2011. Better hurry. Another thing to notice about the chart is that those filers who have selected direct deposit should expect to get there refunds faster. Typically around 7 days faster. That’s a nice incentive to go ahead and provide the IRS your checking or savings account credentials so they can get you the money quicker. Try Not to Exclusively Rely on the 2011 IRS e-file Refund Cycle Chart The IRS disclaimer associated with this chart states that the “IRS does not guarantee a specific date that a refund will be deposited…”. Knowing that, I would not exclusively rely on this chart to determine when you might expect to receive your refund. Check out the IRS “Where’s My Refund” site weekly to track your refund. Previous Post When Work Pays Twice – Schedule M and the Making… Next Post Can I Claim My Girlfriend As a Dependent on My… Written by Philip Taylor More from Philip Taylor Comments are closed. Browse Related Articles Tax Tips How to Find Your Tax Refund Tax Refunds What To Expect When You’re Expecting…a Tax Refund Tax Refunds Where’s My Tax Refund? Tax News Facts About the PATH Act and Tax Refunds Life Overpaid Tax: Why It Matters to You Tax News IRS Updates “Where’s My Refund?” Life Overpayment of Taxes: Everything You Need to Know Tax News IRS Announces E-file Opens January 20: Be the First in Line for Your Tax Refund Tax Refunds How Long It Takes to Get Your Tax Refund Tax Tips TurboTax Up to 5-Day Early Refund Option: What You Need to Know