PATH Act Delaying My Entire Tax Refund Until Mid-February Due to EITC/ACTC - When Will It Actually Arrive?

Just checked Where's My Refund and got this message about the PATH Act delaying my refund. Here's exactly what it says: "The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act says that if you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit, the IRS cannot issue the refund before mid-February. This applies to the entire refund, even the portion not associated with these credits." Then it continues: "You can check the status of your refund on Where's My Refund starting in mid- to late February. The website is updated once a day and is the best way to check the status of your refund." At the bottom, there's a section called "Helpful Information" that references "Tax Topic 152, Refund Information" which apparently relates to my tax situation. I can see on the IRS website that my return was received, but the "Refund Approved" and "Refund Sent" sections are empty with just question marks. I was checking this at 5:58 on the IRS.gov website under Refunds > Refund Status > Results. Getting really nervous since I need this money soon, and it's frustrating that they're holding the ENTIRE refund, not just the credit portions. Anyone else seeing this PATH Act delay message? When did you actually receive your refund if you had EITC or Child Tax Credit? I'm wondering if "mid-February" means the 15th or closer to the end of the month.

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16 comments

Christopher Morgan

•7M

The IRS refund status screen confirms you're affected by the PATH Act delay, which is standard procedure for all EITC and Additional Child Tax Credit claims. The timestamp shows you checked at 5:58, and the system displays three main status indicators: Return Received, Refund Approved, and Refund Sent - though none appear to be marked as completed yet. The message explicitly states that your entire refund - not just the credit portions - must be held until mid-February per the PATH Act requirements. This is a fraud prevention measure implemented by the IRS. The reference to Tax Topic 152 is actually a good sign, as it typically appears for legitimate refunds that are being processed normally. The key timing information in the OCR shows the IRS recommends checking back specifically in "mid- to late February" for updates. Since the system updates once daily, there's no benefit to checking multiple times per day. The URL shown (sa.www4.irs.gov) confirms this is from the official IRS website. For the most accurate status updates, continue monitoring Where's My Refund after mid-February. This timing applies to all EITC/ACTC claims regardless of when you filed, even if you submitted your return early in the season.

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