The 2025 tax season is approaching, and taxpayers who claim or qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) should know about the tax refund obligations and schedule.
2025 IRS refund for EITC
The federal government offers tax relief to low- and moderate-income individuals and families through the EITC. People living in the US with US citizenship who earn below the income threshold and have investment income below this threshold can claim the EITC and receive financial assistance from the federal government.
The credit allows taxpayers to lower their tax bill and increase their tax refund, the amount of the EITC credit can change if you are disabled or have dependent children and meet other criteria. Taxpayers claim the EITC with their federal income tax returns, so they get a credit with their tax refund, however, with EITC claims, your tax refund is delayed until February 15th.
Tax refunds with EITC claims are limited until February 15 due to a PATH Act obligation that limits the agency from processing refunds until a certain time. Therefore, the IRS processes your EITC tax refund after February 15, even if you filed your federal tax returns earlier.
2025 IRS refund for EITC schedule
According to IRS rules, tax refunds with EITC/ACTC claims will be processed after February 15th, so taxpayers can expect a refund on February 27th, 2025 when they file their return online, choose a direct deposit refund and the IRS has not found no problem in your return.
So, based on the limitations of the PATH Act, EITC claimants can expect a tax refund according to the following schedule
| Tax declaration of the Tax Administration accepted | Direct deposit | Paper check |
| January 29 – February 10, 2025 | February 27, 2025 | March 10, 2025 |
| February 11 – February 20, 2025 | March 4, 2025 | March 13, 2025 |
| February 20 – February 27, 2025 | March 13, 2025 | March 24, 2025 |
| February 28 – March 15, 2025 | March 24, 2025 | April 1, 2025 |
| March 16 – March 27, 2025 | March 28, 2025 | April 7, 2025 |
| March 28 – April 10, 2025 | April 7, 2025 | April 18, 2025 |
| April 11 – April 21, 2025 | April 18, 2025 | April 28, 2025 |
| April 22 – April 30, 2025 | April 28, 2025 | May 6, 2025 |
How much EITC refund will you get for tax year 2024?
EITC payment depends on the number of qualifiedMr children who meet the income threshold for the EITC. Taxpayers can check the maximum EITC refund amount based on the number of eligible children below:
| Number of eligible children | EITC payment for the 2025 tax season |
| 0 child | 632 dollars |
| One child | 4213 dollars |
| Two children | 6960 dollars |
| Three or more children | 7830 dollars |
How to track 2025 IRS return for EITC?
The IRS provides a convenient way for taxpayers to track their tax refund to know the status of the tax refund so that they are aware of each stage. The agency has an IRS Where’s My Refund tool available on the official website and an IRS mobile app (IRS2Go app) for taxpayers to check their refund status.
Tax refund status is defined in three stages – (i) Refund received, (ii) Refund approved and (iii) Refund sent.
The first stage tells you that the agency has received your federal IRS refund, the second stage tells you that the IRS has approved your refund amount, and the third stage tells you that the IRS has processed your refund through your chosen payment method, so you can expect refund soon based on the method you chose to receive your refund.
The IRS advises using the Where’s My Refund tool to track your refund status instead of calling the agency because during tax season the line can be busy, and the Where’s My Refund tool shows the same status recorded in the IRS system, so you get accurate information.
According to the guidelines of the Tax Administration, taxpayers should monitor the status of tax refunds after the following period:
- 24 hours after you e-file your federal income tax return
- When you submitted your tax return for the previous year, you can track the status of your refund after 3 or 4 working days after e-filingMr return.
- If you filed your income tax return via paper check, you should wait 4 weeks to track the status of your refund as it may take some time to get to the agency to review the return.
What documents or information do you need to track the status of your EITC refund?
Taxpayers should know when they want to track their tax refund status through the Where’s My Refund tool or by calling the agency, they will need the following information or documents to know about the refund:
- You should know the amount of the tax refund you filed on your tax return
- The tax year for which you filed your federal income tax return
- Your Social Security number or your spouse’s SSN if you filed jointly
- Your filing status, such as married and filing jointly, head of household, sonMretc.
Taxpayers should be aware that tax refunds with EITC claims will not be processed until after February 15, 2025, so you can expect payment on the 27th. February 2025 or later based on the payment method you chose and the date you filed your tax return. So, monitor the status accordingly and if you find any problem in your status like it is same for more than 15 days, you can contact IRS and inquire about it.
