During tax season in the United States, workers and households with low or moderate incomes can benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit, EITC. This tax credit reduces taxes owed and, in many cases, results in a refund. This represents significant financial relief for those who meet the requirements established by the IRS.
To claim the EITC, taxpayers must include it on their federal tax return. However, despite early filing, the IRS cannot issue refunds for this credit before mid-February. This measure is intended to prevent fraud and ensure that payments are made correctly.
In 2025, tax season began on January 27th and will end on April 15th. Taxpayers who file electronically, select direct deposit and have no issues with the return could receive their EITC refund by March 3rd.
EITC refund payment times and dates
The estimated time to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit refund is approximately 21 days after filing the return. However, there are key dates that taxpayers should keep in mind to calculate when they might receive their payment.
Those who filed their return before February 12th should have already received their refund, provided that the IRS has not detected errors in the application. On the other hand, those who filed their return on or after February 13th will be able to see the deposit reflected as of March 6th. To check the status of your refund, the IRS recommends reviewing your return online.
It is important to note that these deadlines only apply to those who filed their return electronically and opted for direct deposit. If you filed on paper, the waiting time may be longer.
How to correct errors or claim the EITC
Sometimes taxpayers who meet the EITC requirements may forget to include it on their tax return. In this case, the IRS allows an amended return to be filed using Form 1040-X.
This process allows errors to be corrected and the credit to be claimed, which could generate an additional refund for the taxpayer. For more information on how to do this, the IRS recommends consulting Tax Topic 308 on its official website.
In general, if we have any doubts about our Tax Refund or our EITC, we can always go to one of the offices to ask if there is a problem with the documentation. There we can get all the information we need.
