The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has set 15 April 2026 as the final deadline for most US taxpayers to file their federal income tax returns. Missing this date can trigger a range of consequences, including late-filing penalties, interest on any unpaid taxes, and in some cases, the loss of your right to claim a tax refund.
While taxpayers can request an extension to file, this does not extend the deadline to pay any taxes owed, which must be settled by the April cut-off to avoid additional charges. The 2026 filing season opened on 26 January.
Meanwhile, early filers expecting a “very large refund” in 2026 may have to wait a little longer than they planned if they claimed these two tax credits. According to the IRS, refunds linked to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) will not be released until mid-February, The Hill reported.
Why are these two refunds delayed?
The delayed distribution is part of the 2015 Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH Act). The news report also states that the measure is aimed at preventing fraud.
“Tax fraud crimes have been on a recent uptick and to safeguard your refund, the IRS has adopted a policy to not release refunds until after February 15th,” H&R Block advises on its website. “This gives the IRS time to stop payment release of any false filings under your identity, thus protecting your refund.”
At the same time, the IRS advises taxpayers to check their refund status by navigating to ‘Where’s My Refund Tool’ in mid- to late-February, which will allow them to get a personalized refund date.
How to speed up IRS refund?
As per the report, for qualifying and early filers, it’s not just the tax credits that will be delayed, but the entire return. However, there are some ways through which they may be able to speed up the refund to as early as 2 March, 2026. Here’s what to do:
— File your return online
— Choose to get your refund by direct deposit
— Ensure that the return is error-free for a seamless process
What are EITC and ACTC?
The Earned Income Tax Credit aims to ease the tax burden on low to moderate-income citizens and their families. A worker must have under $11,950 in investment income and earn less than a specific income level from their job to qualify for EITC.
If the worker is single and has no children, then their income must be $19,104 or below. Married individuals who are filing jointly with three or more children must make $68,675 or below. In order to determine if your household qualifies for the credit, you can receive help from the online EITC Assistant tool.
The maximum credit amount for eligible taxpayers with three or more qualifying children is $8,046 for the tax year 2025.
Meanwhile, the Additional Child Tax Credit is the $1,700 refundable portion of the child tax credit. In order to claim the ACTC, an individual must have at least $2,500 of income for the tax year.
