Refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in May 2025 will mostly go to people who filed their taxes early and decided to get a check in the mail. People who filed between May 12 and May 19 would get their money around May 30. Checks sent through the mail may take an extra week, while direct transfers are faster.

People whose tax returns the IRS accepted on March 31 could get checks in the mail by May 30. The federal office says that direct deposits sent on May 19 will arrive on May 30, and postal checks sent on May 12 will also arrive on the same date.

Why does it take so long to get my tax refund?

On January 27, 2025, tax season started, and the due date was April 15, 2025. Credit declarations like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) might not be sent out until the middle of February. Due to high demand, presentations in March and April are running late, which delays the coming of refunds in May.

Based on statistics from the IRS through April 4, the average refund in 2025 will be $3,116. This is 3.5% more than in 2024. This number is different for each state and tax condition. The rise is due to changes in credits like the EITC and ACTC as well as adjustments for inflation.

In the next few days, they would get their tax returns

Taxpayers whose returns were accepted between May 12 and May 19 will get their money back around May 30. People who did a direct payment on May 19 will get their money that same day. People who decided to send a check (which was due on May 12) will also get paid on the same date.

We tried to get more information from the IRS about the stimulus plan or the quarterly estimates that were set for May, but the office is usually very careful about giving out information like this. One thing that is planned is to give regular returns. This proves that the money received in May was only for 2024 declarations that were handled in 2025.

The IRS prefers direct payments because they are faster. The deadline is 10 to 21 days after the return is received. Checks sent through the mail take an extra 5–7 days. Physically sent declarations in April or early May explain why there were so many payments in the last week of May.

Taxpayers who chose to get a check in the mail from April to May have to wait until May 30 to get their returns. People who used direct transfer on the same dates would get their money faster, but people who sent in their forms after May 19 might have to wait until June.

As of April 5, the most current data available, the IRS had sent out more than 64.7 million direct deposits, with amounts ranging from $3,116 to $3,186. A total of $206.255 billion had been sent out.

What to do if you don’t get your tax return on time

For direct deposit checks, you should wait 21 days. For mailed checks, you should wait 6 weeks. First, use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on the IRS website or the IRS2Go app to find out what’s happening with your return. It says “issued” but you haven’t gotten it. Call the IRS at 800-829-1954 (for direct deposit) or 800-829-1040 (for mailed checks) to ask for a payment trace.

If you lose or have your check stolen, you can get a new one by filling out Form 3911, which is called a “Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund.” Keep copies of your first filing and any letters you get from the IRS. There may be delays because of mistakes, fraud holds, or sending problems, but the IRS can send out payments that were lost again.