Want your tax refund before June? Don’t forget this step

(NEXSTAR) – If you haven’t already, you have roughly a month to file your taxes. And while there are some changes to be aware of, missing one small step could keep your potentially “very large” refund from you until June.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is also Acting Commissioner of the IRS, House Ways and Means Committee Democrats sought answers as to why “more than 830,000 taxpayers have so far received notices this filing season that their refunds have been delayed.”

Impacted tax filers, lawmakers noted, received alerts, known as CP53E notices, that their refunds are being held and delayed because they did not provide direct deposit information. For some, the delay is “more than 2 months.”

Why are some refunds being ‘frozen?’

Receiving a tax refund via direct deposit has long been the fastest, most-advised payout option by the IRS. That’s especially true this year as a new rule, enacted by an executive order last year, kicks in.

The order, signed by President Donald Trump, called for “payments to and from America’s bank account” to be modernized. It’s meant to phase out paper checks and money orders for transactions with the federal government, with a few exceptions. It applies to benefits paid by Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and, of course, your federal tax refund.

The IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) previously warned that refunds could be temporarily frozen if tax filers don’t include banking information. The freeze may last until you provide that or request a paper check.

A CP53E notice should direct you to add or update your direct deposit information through the IRS’s website, generally within 30 days. If you don’t, the IRS said it will send you a paper check after six weeks.

If your direct deposit is rejected, the TAS said you’ll need to take action, and paper checks will not automatically be issued. You will receive a CP53E notice only once and can only update your bank information once, the agency said.

Wait for paper checks ‘at least 10 weeks’

In their letter to Bessent, Reps. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) and Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.) said that those who are getting paper checks “could face more than a 10-week delay (over 2 1/2 months).”

More than 10 million taxpayers received their refunds as a paper check last year, the letter added, citing the National Taxpayer Advocate. Their reasons for doing so may vary, from not having a bank account to facing “systemic or geographic challenges that prevent them from being able to create IRS online accounts or receive electronic tax refunds.”

How to file taxes for free

“Having reviewed the IRS notice and called the IRS phone lines, we learned that there is no simple process for these taxpayers to request an immediate release of their refund by paper check without waiting at least 10 weeks,” the letter continued. “Effectively, the President, unilaterally through his Executive Order, is causing undue hardship on millions of Americans by delaying their paper refunds for months.”

They then call on Bessent to provide information about the delays.

How can you avoid a refund delay?

Outside of including information to receive your refund via direct deposit, there are a few steps you can take.

The IRS said some mobile apps and prepaid debit cards can be used to route a refund, as long as they have a routing and account number. Refunds can also be sent to IRAs (traditional, Roth, and Simplified Employee Pension). If you don’t have access to a digital payment option, you may qualify for a “Treasury-sponsored” alternative like the Direct Express Debit Mastercard.

Regardless, your tax return will be processed, the IRS said. You can find more details, including how to receive assistance by phone, here.

According to the IRS, those who opt for direct deposit typically receive their refunds within three weeks.

If you owe the IRS after filing your taxes, there are no changes to paying the agency this year. The TAS said additional updates could begin in 2027.

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