--- title: 'IRS Delays: These Tax Returns and Refunds Are the Most Likely to Get Held Up in 2026' description: IRS staffing shortages and a paper-check phaseout could delay this year's tax refunds. Here’s which returns are most at risk. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 133 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: A graduate of the University of Florida, Julia has more than eight years of experience in personal finance journalism. In addition to overseeing news and newsletters, she leads Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, policy changes and the IRS. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2026-02-18T18:20:27.000Z' modified: '2026-02-18T18:20:27.000Z' section: Taxes tags: - News - Taxes word_count: 438 canonical: https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo illustration of a American flag balloon, in the shape of a dollar sign, flying away in the sky](https://img.money.com/2026/02/News-2026-Tax-Return-Delay.jpg) If you were counting on a quick [tax refund](https://money.com/tax-changes/?xid=moneyrss) to pay for an upcoming renovation or family vacation, you may be disappointed. A Jan. 26 [report](https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2026-01/2026400002-Readiness-Memo.pdf) from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an independent watchdog, warns that the processing of some tax returns could be delayed due to IRS staffing shortages and backlogs. The IRS says it expects to receive about 164 million tax returns for the 2025 tax year before the [April 15 deadline](https://money.com/when-are-taxes-due/). However, according to the memo, the IRS still needs to process nearly 2 million unresolved tax cases from previous years with a workforce that has shrunk by [roughly 27%](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/national-taxpayer-advocate-delivers-annual-report-to-congress-finds-taxpayer-service-was-strong-in-2025-but-foresees-challenges-for-taxpayers-who-encounter-problems-in-2026). Combine that with the executive order requiring federal agencies to [phase out paper checks](https://money.com/irs-ends-paper-checks/), and you’ve got a recipe for delays. ***IRS-approved: [Learn how E-file.com can help with your taxes this year](https://money.com/pr/dba56aee57c2?data-trk-company=e-file&data-trk-imp=true&data-trk-pcu-type=direct_link&data-trk-pcu-uuid=dba56aee57c2&encoded_id=).*** So which returns are most likely to be held up? Anything that requires manual handling, including paper filings, amended returns and returns flagged for identity verification or mismatched income. Straightforward e-filed returns with direct deposit refunds or payments are still likely to be processed on time, particularly for early filers who submit before peak filing season in March and April. There are exceptions. For instance, the IRS can't issue refunds before mid-February to taxpayers who claim the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit on their returns. And if you’re expecting a refund via paper check, you can all but count on a delay. Last year, roughly [6 million refunds](https://money.com/irs-ends-paper-checks/) — about 7% of the total — were issued by check. But in an effort to modernize payments, the IRS now will freeze refunds for six weeks unless the taxpayer supplies their bank account information for direct deposit. Only after those six weeks will the agency issue a paper check. ### Rated A+ by the BBB ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/14979/medium_d9420f2c-6d0b-4726-b903-60fb37740830.png) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/79f9ed5fa9fc?bidid=4063577419&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=665770494&ptoken=23998b7df273506c48d85c498e95a994) ### Over 15 years of Experience ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/36123/medium_d8e31451-10fb-4690-a053-85981545c371.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/83fa8258ea21?bidid=4063577430&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=665770494&ptoken=f6af98af02024fdf7aba3920a692dfec) ### 12+ years of tax resolution experience ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/19221/medium_21c467f5-9614-45a6-a827-5c1698cf1de6.png) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/0dd71477d336?bidid=4063577416&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=665770494&ptoken=ea937cad7bda64bb92f1ca550bfd2421) ### 21+ years in service ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/37015/medium_cb5bc133-3b62-412b-9420-e17d1c5aaa63.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/07bb74805e00?bidid=4063577426&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=665770494&ptoken=80f12c4b605b93b0dfb04097699183af) ### 24/7 Client Portal Access ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38669/medium_134094f5-0d61-4290-98dd-6ea7bc5551c2.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/331995477f30?bidid=4063577423&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=665770494&ptoken=49dd694346835ba094bd09e006e8c8f4) ## How you can avoid tax refund delays The best way to help your refund arrive on time is to double-check your return before filing, making sure that all forms — W-2s, 1099s and other income documents — match what you reported and that your bank routing and account numbers are correct. You should also set up access to an [IRS Online Account](https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-account-for-individuals) for easy access to your tax records and any notices that might require your attention. Finally, take advantage of available tools such as “[Where’s My Refund?](https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund)” to track the status of your refund. You can see updates as soon as 24 hours after e-filing or about four weeks after submitting a paper return. The bottom line: Filing electronically with direct deposit remains the most reliable way to avoid delays this tax season, according to the IRS. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Taxes", "item": "https://money.com/taxes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tax Refund", "item": "https://money.com/tax-refund/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "IRS Delays: These Tax Returns and Refunds Are the Most Likely to Get Held Up in 2026" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/", "name": "IRS Delays: These Tax Returns and Refunds Are the Most Likely to Get Held Up in 2026", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-02-18T18:20:27.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/tax-refund-delays-2026/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2026-02-18T18:20:27.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "IRS Delays: These Tax Returns and Refunds Are the Most Likely to Get Held Up in 2026", "articleSection": "Taxes", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/02/News-2026-Tax-Return-Delay.jpg", "width": 1280, "height": 853, "caption": "News-2026-Tax-Return-Delay" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liliana Hall", "url": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/#author", "description": "Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. 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