The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) projects that most taxpayers in the United States will receive their tax refunds between April 9 and 15, 2025. This schedule applies to both those who filed their returns digitally and on paper, although processing times vary significantly between both methods.
According to official guidelines, digital returns submitted between March 19 and April 8, 2025 would have a wait time of up to 21 days. In contrast, paper returns mailed between February 13 and March 20, 2025 could take 4 to 8 weeks after receipt.
Differences in processing times between paper and digital returns
The disparity in deadlines is due to the IRS prioritizing the processing of electronic forms, which reduce errors and speed up validation. While digital returns are usually reviewed in three weeks, physical returns require manual scanning and verification of attached documents, which extends their processing.
Those who opted for the digital format had an advantage by submitting close to the deadline (April 15), while those who chose paper had to send their documents a month earlier to coincide with the refund window. This gap could impact the financial planning of taxpayers, especially those with urgent liquidity needs.
A relevant finding is that, although both groups would receive their funds on the same dates, taxpayers who used paper experienced a long wait from the initial shipment. For example, a return submitted on February 13, 2025 may not be processed until the end of March, adding up to 63 days of total delay.
Anonymous sources we consulted support these estimates, noting that “refunds for paper returns can take 28 to 56 days after the IRS receives them.” On the other hand, for electronic formats, the agency states that “90% of refunds are issued in less than 21 days if there are no errors.”
Why you should file your taxes digitally
Tax experts insist that digital filing not only speeds up refunds, but also minimizes risks of loss or delays in the mail. However, approximately 10% of taxpayers still prefer the physical format, according to IRS data, whether due to habit, technological distrust, or complexity of their return.
For both methods, the IRS recommends thoroughly verifying information such as bank account numbers, addresses, and deduction calculations. Simple errors can postpone the refund for several weeks, regardless of the format chosen. In addition, the agency suggests checking the status of the process through its Where’s My Refund? tool.
The following timeline summarizes the critical dates for each method:
- Digital statements: filed between March 19 and April 8, 2025. Maximum processing: 21 days. Refund window: April 9-15.
- Paper statements: sent by mail between February 13 and March 20, 2025. Processing: 4-8 weeks after receipt. Refund window: same as digital ones.
This overlap in final dates hides a substantial difference: paper taxpayers had to advance their declaration up to 35 days before digital taxpayers to receive the refund in April. Those who submitted around March 20, for example, waited almost an extra month compared to those who submitted digitally on April 8.
