5 simple ways to get your tax refund faster in 2026

The 2026 tax season has less than a month left to go. And while close to 70% of taxpayers expect to get a refund this year, according study conducted by Qualtrics on behalf of Intuit TurboTax, the same percentage say they'll be using that money to cover basic expenses — rather than put it into savings or usinh it to fund a big new purchase.

When your refund is going to bills and essentials, every day longer it takes to arrive feels like an eternity. You can't rush the IRS but there are some ways to make sure your federal tax refund arrives as quickly as possible.

Roughly 93% of taxpayers file their federal income tax returns electronically, according to the IRS. That saves the agency countless hours of opening, scanning and deciphering paper returns.

With the IRS grappling with staff shortages and shutdowns, you don't want to slow it down further.

According to the agency, e-filers typically receive their refunds within three weeks, compared to up to eight weeks for paper returns.

A simple math mistake or switching the last two digits of your Social Security Number can cause big problems for the IRS. Whether you work with a tax professional or use DIY software, review everything before you submit.

Be sure to save copies of all your documentation, too, in case you need to prove any information is accurate.

The other half of the equation is setting up direct deposit so your refund can be transferred electronically to your bank account.

Paper checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, misdirected, undelivered, stolen or uncashed, according to the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The federal government actually began phasing out paper checks for tax refunds, Social Security benefits and other uses on Sept. 30, 2025.

If you don't have a bank account, you should be able to receive your refund via a prepaid debit card or money-transfer app like Venmo or Cash App, provided they have routing and account numbers. But waiting to enroll or look up your account information will only lead to more delays.

Returns are processed in the order they're received. The longer you wait, the busier the IRS will be when they finally get to your return. If there's a hiccup, it'll get stuck in the back of the line.

If you really need cash fast, most top tax software programs will front taxpayers all or most of their refund as an advance on their refund. Because the money is coming from the IRS, it's considered a low-risk loan and approval is fairly easy.

TurboTax provides zero-interest refund advance loans of up to $4,000 that can be deposited into a Credit Karma Money™ checking or savings account.

H&R Block also offers interest-free refund advances (up to $3,500), though the funds need to be deposited into a Spruce account or added to an H&R Block Emerald Card®.

Tax prep companies typically only offer these advances until the end of February.

There are other options: Chime® Tax Season Unlocked™ offers free state and federal filing directly through its app. Simple returns can be completed in as little as 24 minutes and members who set up direct deposit can get their federal refund up to 6 days early.

Cash App Taxes will also deliver your refund six days earlier if you arrange for a deposit into a Cash App account.

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