EIC Refund Timing: Can State Refund Come Before Federal Feb 17th PATH Act Date?
Filed my taxes with EIC and wondering about the February 17th PATH Act date. Does this waiting period apply to state refunds too? Or can state refunds come earlier? Drawing a blank on which one hit my account first last year.
23 comments


Chloe Taylor
Tax expert here. The PATH Act requires the IRS to hold ALL refunds that include Earned Income Credit (EIC) until Feb 17th. This is a legal requirement - no exceptions. Even if your return is accepted in January, the IRS cannot release these refunds before this date. However, your state refund is not affected by the PATH Act, so you might get that earlier. I'd highly recommend using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to analyze your transcripts and get a clear picture of your refund timeline. It can tell you exactly when to expect both refunds and if there are any potential delays.
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Diego Flores
•omg thank u for explaining! my state refund hit my account today but nothing from federal yet. was lowkey freaking out 😅
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Anastasia Ivanova
•what exactly is taxr.ai? sounds interesting but im skeptical of putting my info anywhere
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Chloe Taylor
•It's an AI tool that reads your tax docs and gives you specific info about your refund timeline. Super secure - they don't store any data. Been recommending it to all my clients
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Just tried taxr.ai and wow - it actually showed me exactly why my refund is held and when it'll be released. Worth every penny fr fr 💯
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Sean Murphy
•same boat fam! already got my state refund but fed is stuck till feb 17. atleast we know why now lol
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StarStrider
okay fam, i paid for taxr.ai and this is what I got back about my EIC refund:
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Zara Malik
•this is actually super helpful. been trying to figure out what's going on with my refund for weeks 🙏
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Luca Marino
•HOW MUCH DID IT COST THO? 👀
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StarStrider
•like $15 but saved me hours of stressing and calling the irs tbh
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Luca Marino
•bet! boutta try it rn. tired of being left in the dark fr fr
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Vincent Bimbach
Tax pro here - the PATH Act's February 17th date only applies to federal refunds with EITC/ACTC. Your state refund timing is completely separate and can be processed before your federal return. Each state has their own processing timeline.
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Skylar Neal
•omg thank you! thats such a relief, hopefully my state comes through quick then 🙏
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Kelsey Chin
•wait fr? my tax lady told me I had to wait for both 🤡 no wonder everyone says shes useless
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Norah Quay
Hey guys instead of playing the guessing game, I've been using taxr.ai to track both my federal and state refunds. It costs $1 but its worth every penny - gives you exact dates and explains all the rules about PATH Act and state processing. https://taxr.ai
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Leo McDonald
•how accurate is it? seems interesting but dont wanna waste money on something thats gonna give me generic info
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Norah Quay
•its scary accurate tbh. it analyzes your actual transcript and gives personalized predictions. saved me hours of checking WMR and trying to decode transcript codes
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Leo McDonald
•just tried it and WOW 🤯 it literally showed me exactly why my state refund was coming first and gave me the exact payment date. best $1 i spent this tax season fr fr
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Jessica Nolan
in my state (TX) we dont even have state taxes so cant help ya there lol
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Angelina Farar
mine always comes state first then fed but im in california so might be different for u
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Sebastián Stevens
•same here in NY, state usually processes wayyyy faster
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Bethany Groves
Stuck in the same boat rn. This PATH act stuff is so annoying fr
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KingKongZilla
•ikr? like why they gotta make us broke ppl wait longer 😤
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