EITC/ACTC 2026 Refund Alert: IRS Confirms When Payments Will Begin Reaching Accounts

The IRS has officially made public the details regarding the refund of the earned income tax credit and the additional child tax credit. Those who have e-filed their returns for the tax year 2025 and claimed EITC and/or ACTC will start getting the refund from early March 2026.

Here, we have discussed everything you need to know about the 2026 ACTC and EITC refund. Read this article thoroughly to check when you can expect to get your refund, how you can check your refund status, what to do if your refund isn’t received on time, and much more.

EITC/ACTC 2026 Refund Alert

The Internal Revenue Service is going to start processing the 2026 returns with EITC and/or ACTC from February 21, 2026, and the direct deposit refund for the individual whose tax return will be accepted on this date is expected to be received on March 2, 2026. 

If you have claimed the earned income tax credit (EITC) and/or additional child tax credit (ACTC), note that the IRS processes such tax returns after February 15 because the PATH (Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes) Act, which is a law, prohibits doing so before that date.

IRS Tax Refund Alert 2026: Check Your Payment Status, Delays, and Latest Update Now

The IRS has started accepting returns for the tax year 2025 from January 9, 2026. On February 21, 2026, the returns of those people who have filed their tax returns electronically between January 9, 2026, and February 3, 2026, claiming EITC and/or ACTC will be approved.

When to expect the 2026 EITC/ACTC refund?

The IRS refund processing time for tax year 2025 is four weeks in total. Typically, the refund is approved within 18 days of e-filing, and then it takes 10 days to be received. Based on this, we have prepared an estimated refund schedule, which is shown in the table below.

If you filed your return on paper, you will have to wait eight weeks from the date you filed to receive your refund, whether or not you claimed EITC and/or ACTC.

How to check the 2026 EITC/ACTC refund status?

In order to check the 2026 EITC and/or ACTC refund status, go through the step-by-step instructions.

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• Go to the official website of the Internal Revenue Service, which is accessible at irs.gov/.
• Click on the ‘Use refund tracker’ option; you will see this option under the section of Refund Tracker.
• Enter your Social Security Number, and then choose the tax year as 2026. 
• Opt for your filing status among Single, Married-Filing Joint Return, Married-Filing Separate Return, Head of Household, and Qualifying Widow(er)/Surviving Spouse.
• Enter the refund amount in dollars and click on the Submit button.

After going through the step-by-step instructions above, you will successfully have checked that your tax return is received and approved or that your EITC and/or ACTC refund is sent by the IRS.