The 2025 tax season officially kicked off on Monday, when the Internal Revenue Service began accepting and processing individual income tax returns at 9 a.m.

This means that you could be more likely to receive your tax refund sometime in February — if you file early. But there are plenty of reasons why many refunds won't arrive as soon as some might expect, including if you claim the earned income tax credit.

No doubt, the IRS will see its own disruptions this tax season. The White House initiated a hiring freeze at the IRS, which could be much longer than those hiring freezes facing other federal agencies. The IRS hiring freeze shall remain in effect for the IRS until the treasury secretary, in consultation with the director of Office of Management and Budget and others, "determines that it is in the national interest to lift the freeze," according to a White House statement.

Last week, President Donald Trump told a rally in Las Vegas that he is considering sending nearly 90,000 newly hired IRS agents to guard the southern border, according to the New York Post. He also told the crowd that he could fire the IRS employees, many of whom had salaries funded under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Trump is "answering Americans’ fears of a supercharged Internal Revenue Service," according to a statement from the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith.

Find the loan that's right for you: Best personal loans

Find tax help online:It's easier than ever. Should you file them yourself or pay a pro?

The Missouri Republican's Jan. 23 statement noted: “President Trump’s cease-and-desist order to the IRS is a crucial first step to helping middle-class Americans and small businesses living in fear of 87,000 new IRS agents targeting them with new audits."

IRS Danny Commissioner Werfel, who arrived at the IRS two years ago, had repeatedly stated that he intended to complete his full term through 2027. But Werfel announced before Inauguration Day that he would resign.

"After significant introspection and consultation with others, I’ve determined the best way to support a successful transition is to depart the IRS on Jan. 20, 2025," Werfel said in his statement.

No doubt, we will hear more out of Trump's team ahead regarding taxes and the tax system.

But millions of people continue to await their much anticipated tax refunds, and plenty of tax returns have already gone directly to the IRS electronically.

Tens of millions of tax returns are typically filed in the first week of a tax season. Last year, more than 15.3 million federal income tax returns were received by the IRS by Feb. 2. The IRS began processing and accepting 2023 federal income tax returns on Jan. 29, 2024.

The IRS even issued 2.6 million refunds during that single week, ending Feb. 2, 2024, totaling nearly $3.65 billion.

More than 140 million individual federal income tax returns for tax year 2024 are to be filed ahead of the April 15 federal deadline for most taxpayers, according to the IRS.

Less than half of individual tax filers are expected to file taxes on their own. And more than half of all tax returns are expected to be filed this year with the help of a tax professional, according to the IRS.

Here are a few thoughts that earlier filers should consider:

Why you're still waiting for your refund

Yes, some people might actually be wondering why they didn't get their tax refund yet.

Already? Really?

The IRS began accepting e-filed returns Monday, so you cannot issue refunds until the IRS processes that return.

Some people who are already done with their 2024 tax returns might not realize the exact kickoff date.

Matt Hetherwick, chief program officer for the nonprofit Accounting Aid Society in Detroit, said that the free tax service began preparing tax returns the week of Jan. 20.

Do-it-yourselfers who might have all their tax forms in hand were able to do their taxes using software or doing it online earlier in January.

The early returns e-filed before Monday were treated as "pending" by many preparers.

"Pending" does not mean the IRS has accepted your return yet. The IRS, after all, is expected to begin to accept or reject returns via e-file on Monday.

Karen Nolan, a TurboTax spokesperson, said TurboTax securely holds those early completed tax returns, and then transmits them to the IRS and individual states when they open for e-file.

And then, she said, TurboTax "will keep you posted on the status of your return via our tracker. The benefit of this is that your return will be one of the first that they review upon opening."

Be realistic about when tax refunds will arrive

If you're an early filer, remember that many tax refunds are not issued as quickly as many people would like. Don't bank on getting a refund by a set date.

If you're fortunate, you might see a federal income tax refund issued sometime between eight to 15 days after a return is accepted into the IRS system. That's if you e-file your return and opt for direct deposit.

It could be longer.

The IRS says most refunds are issued in less than 21 calendar days if you e-file and opt for direct deposit.

Here's one glitch: If you claim the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit, the IRS notes that you can expect to get your refund by March 3. That's if you file your return online, opt to get your refund by direct deposit, and have no issues with your tax return.

Some taxpayers, the IRS said, may receive their income tax refunds a few days earlier. The IRS "Where's My Refund?" tool is expected to show an updated status by Feb. 22 for most early filers who claimed the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit.

Tax season opens:Do you have to file taxes? Why you may want to even if you don't.

By law, the IRS cannot issue federal income tax refunds before mid-February for returns that claim the advanced child tax credit or the earned income tax credit. The IRS must delay the entire refund, not just the amount associated with the credits. The delay is designed to give the IRS more time to detect and prevent errors and fraud.

It's a delay that applies to all federal income tax returns that claim those credits.

The earned income credit can be worth up to $7,830 for a family with three or more qualifying children in 2024 for lower-income families.

Do not fill out a paper return and mail it to the IRS if you want the fastest tax refund possible. The IRS says it takes six weeks to eight weeks to receive a refund after the IRS receives your return if filing via paper.

Taxpayers can use the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov to track a refund. Those who e-file returns should wait 24 hours after filing before checking for refund information involving a 2024 tax return. If taxpayers file a paper return, they should wait four weeks before checking the status of their refund.

What can trigger a delay in getting a refund?

The IRS has a long, but pretty specific, list for why a tax return can take longer to process and you could see a delay in your refund.

While most people had no trouble at all, roughly 1.2 million taxpayers faced incredibly long waits last year for their tax refund cash after getting hit by tax-related ID theft or by claiming frivolous credits after falling for tax schemes and scams, according to a report by the National Taxpayer Advocate.

If you fall for a tax trick that you spot on social media — such as ones promoting the misuse of the fuel tax credit, the sick and family leave credit and household employment taxes — you're likely not going to get your refund quickly.

At the end of fiscal year 2024, the National Taxpayer Advocate report noted, some 739,000 taxpayers were still waiting for the IRS to unfreeze their federal income tax refund after they claimed potential frivolous credits.

Here are some cases where the IRS says your tax refund can face delays:

• Your tax return has errors, is incomplete or affected in some way by identity theft or fraud.
• You'd need to fix a problem with the child tax credit.
• The return claimed an earned income tax credit, additional child tax credit, or includes a Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation. (This form is filed when the "injured spouse" wants to obtain their portion of a tax refund when, the IRS notes, the tax refund will automatically be used for their spouse's "legally enforceable past-due federal tax, state income tax, state unemployment compensation debts, child support, or a federal nontax debt, such as a student loan.")
• Your bank or credit union might take longer than expected to post the refund to the your account, particularly around some federal holidays.

What mistakes should you try to avoid?

Rushing to do your taxes isn't a smart strategy.

Tax filers must make sure to have all tax documents in hand before filing a return.

"If not, they risk receiving a letter from the IRS for not properly reporting their income," said Hetherwick, of the Accounting Aid Society.

What are some common things that you might forget? Maybe it's taxable lottery winnings, casino winnings in person or online. Or maybe you forgot some activity on stock trading apps, like Robinhood, Webull and Charles Schwab.

"More common situations are tax filers that have had multiple jobs in the prior year. We need to make sure they have everything from each employer," Hetherwick said.

Do you have all of your W-2 forms for 2024? From all of your employers during the year? Did you receive any money or any sort of distribution from a retirement account? Say maybe when you switched jobs?

Some online tax programs can help find that data. TurboTax, for example, notes that it partners with hundreds of payroll providers and financial institutions to enable tax filers to automatically import W-2 and 1099 information directly into a return.

Lisa Greene-Lewis, a TurboTax tax expert, said taxpayers should make sure they gather the correct Social Security numbers for dependents. "Dependents are worth valuable deductions and credits but you need the correct Social Security number to claim them," she said.

For many families, especially those receiving the earned income tax credit, a tax refund check is often biggest check that the household will see all year.

The average federal income tax refund in 2024 was $3,138 based on IRS data through Dec. 27, down 0.9% from the same period in 2023.

Given the size of many refunds, Greene-Lewis said, it's better to go online, e-file a tax return, and opt for direct deposit to receive that money more quickly.

Tax refund checks do get stolen in the mail, and opting for direct deposit can avoid that risk.

The IRS data indicates that nearly 10 million paper refund checks went out in 2024 — or 9.4% of all refunds issued.

Leix, at the Michigan Treasury, notes that taxpayers who submit a paper return should take extra care and time to follow the instructions carefully.

"When taxpayer rush to paper file, arithmetic mistakes can occur. This delays processing and refunds," Leix said.

What can you do if you cannot find a 2023 return?

Ask your tax preparer, if you had one last year, for a copy of the 2023 return.

Or request a tax return transcript from the IRS by using Form 4506-T to get your hands on key personal information. For fast help, go online to www.irs.gov and click on "Get Your Tax Record."

If you end up requesting a transcript by mail, it's going to take time to get it, maybe five to 10 days. And it's going to be sent to the address that the IRS has on file for you.

The transcript won't look exactly like a tax return, but it will do the job.

A tax return transcript will show most line items, including adjusted gross income or AGI from your original Form 1040, along with any forms and schedules. It helps to have the 2023 information when filing a 2024 return.

How do you get your taxes done for free?

Many low-income to moderate-income people also qualify for free tax preparation assistance through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide.

In 2025, people who generally make $67,000 or less qualify for these services through the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs.

Many more people can use "Free File" at IRS.gov if they're comfortable using tax software. The IRS Free File's online guided tax software products are available to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less in 2024.

Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: [email protected]. Follow her on X @tompor.