2026 filing season · Tax year 2025
State tax refund processing times by state
Each state publishes its own refund timeline. Compare e-file and paper windows side by side, then open your state’s guide for the official tracker.
The short answer
Most states ask you to allow about 3 to 8 weeks for an e-filed return and 6 to 12 weeks or more for a paper return. A few pay many e-filed refunds within days, while others publish windows of 90 to 120 days. Start counting when the state accepts the return.
Want a date instead of a range? Try the refund date estimator.
Shortest published e-file windows
- Missouri: 6 days
- Kansas: 7 days
- Oregon: 2 weeks
- California: 3 weeks
- Indiana: 3 weeks
Published refund timelines
Wording follows each agency’s guidance. “Max” is the longest normal e-file wait the state publishes; select a column heading to sort.
| E-filed returns | Paper returns | Tracker | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10 weeks | Allow about 8 to 10 weeks for processing | Paper returns can take 8 to 12 weeks or longer | AL tracker ↗ |
| Arizona | — | Most refunds are processed within a couple of weeks after the return is received | Allow at least 10 weeks from the filing date for full processing | AZ tracker ↗ |
| Arkansas | 6 weeks | Allow up to 6 weeks for processing | Allow up to 10 weeks for a mailed return | AR tracker ↗ |
| California | 3 weeks | Up to 3 weeks | Up to 3 months | CA tracker ↗ |
| Colorado | 4 weeks | Allow about 4 weeks before asking about the refund | Allow up to 12 weeks for a mailed return | CO tracker ↗ |
| Connecticut | — | Electronic filing with direct deposit is the fastest option; no fixed number of days is promised | Allow 10 to 12 weeks after mailing | CT tracker ↗ |
| Delaware | — | Allow 10 to 12 weeks for processing | Allow 10 to 12 weeks for processing | DE tracker ↗ |
| District of Columbia | 6 weeks | Allow up to 6 weeks for processing | Mailed returns generally take longer than electronically filed returns | DC tracker ↗ |
| Georgia | 12 weeks | Most refunds are issued within 3 weeks, but allow up to 12 weeks | Paper returns can take up to 12 weeks or longer | GA tracker ↗ |
| Hawaii | 8 weeks | Check 7 to 8 weeks after filing electronically | Check 9 to 10 weeks after mailing a paper return | HI tracker ↗ |
| Idaho | 8 weeks | Allow about 7 to 8 weeks for processing | Allow about 10 to 11 weeks for a mailed return | ID tracker ↗ |
| Illinois | 4 weeks | Allow about 4 weeks for processing | Allow about 8 weeks for a mailed return | IL tracker ↗ |
| Indiana | 3 weeks | Allow about 3 weeks for processing | Allow up to 12 weeks for a mailed return | IN tracker ↗ |
| Iowa | 30 days | The anticipated processing time is about 30 days | Paper returns may take longer than the anticipated 30-day timeframe | IA tracker ↗ |
| Kansas | 7 days | Allow about 7 days for processing | Normal processing time is about 16 weeks | KS tracker ↗ |
| Kentucky | 6 weeks | Usually 4 to 6 weeks | Usually 10 to 14 weeks | KY tracker ↗ |
| Louisiana | 4 weeks | Allow up to 4 weeks | Allow up to 8 weeks | LA tracker ↗ |
| Maine | 6 weeks | Allow about 4 to 6 weeks before calling | Paper returns generally take longer than e-filed returns | ME tracker ↗ |
| Maryland | — | Most electronically filed returns are processed faster than paper returns | Allow about 30 days before checking a mailed return | MD tracker ↗ |
| Massachusetts | 6 weeks | Allow about 4 to 6 weeks | Allow about 8 to 10 weeks | MA tracker ↗ |
| Michigan | 6 weeks | Allow 4 to 6 weeks after the return is accepted | Allow 6 to 8 weeks after mailing | MI tracker ↗ |
| Minnesota | 3 weeks | Most returns are processed within 21 days after acceptance | Paper returns generally take longer than e-filed returns | MN tracker ↗ |
| Mississippi | — | Allow 10 business days before calling about an e-filed refund | Refunds ordinarily arrive within 6 to 8 weeks | MS tracker ↗ |
| Missouri | 6 days | Electronically filed returns typically take about 6 days | Mailed returns can take up to 6 weeks | MO tracker ↗ |
| Montana | 90 days | A refund can take up to 90 days | A paper-filed refund can take up to 90 days or longer | MT tracker ↗ |
| Nebraska | 30 days | Allow at least 30 days | Allow up to 3 months | NE tracker ↗ |
| New Jersey | 4 weeks | Allow at least 4 weeks after filing electronically | Allow at least 12 weeks after mailing, or 15 weeks for certified mail and returns needing extra processing | NJ tracker ↗ |
| New Mexico | 8 weeks | Allow about 6 to 8 weeks | Allow about 8 to 12 weeks | NM tracker ↗ |
| New York | 30 days | Most refunds are issued within 30 days; 61% were issued within 15 days in the latest state data | Most refunds are issued within 30 days, but paper filing can take up to two weeks longer than e-file | NY tracker ↗ |
| North Carolina | 6 weeks | Allow up to 6 weeks after the electronic filing acknowledgment before calling about a missing record | Allow up to 12 weeks after mailing before submitting a duplicate return | NC tracker ↗ |
| North Dakota | 30 days | The anticipated processing time is about 30 days | Paper returns can take up to 6 weeks | ND tracker ↗ |
| Ohio | — | Processing time varies by return | Paper returns generally take longer than e-filed returns | OH tracker ↗ |
| Oklahoma | 6 weeks | About 5 to 6 weeks with direct deposit | About 10 to 13 weeks, depending on the refund method | OK tracker ↗ |
| Oregon | 2 weeks | About 95% of refunds are issued within 2 weeks when processing is automatic | Paper returns take longer; some returns that need manual processing can take up to 20 weeks | OR tracker ↗ |
| Pennsylvania | — | Pennsylvania does not publish one standard wait time; online filing through myPATH is processed faster than paper | Pennsylvania does not publish one standard wait time for mailed PA-40 returns | PA tracker ↗ |
| Rhode Island | — | Processing time varies by return | Paper returns take longer than e-filed returns | RI tracker ↗ |
| South Carolina | 8 weeks | Allow up to 8 weeks | Paper returns may take longer than 8 weeks | SC tracker ↗ |
| Utah | 120 days | Allow up to 120 days from filing or March 1, whichever is later | Allow up to 120 days from filing or March 1, whichever is later | UT tracker ↗ |
| Vermont | — | Processing time varies by return | Paper returns generally take longer than e-filed returns | VT tracker ↗ |
| Virginia | 4 weeks | Allow up to 4 weeks | Allow up to 10 weeks, plus 3 weeks for certified mail | VA tracker ↗ |
| West Virginia | 10 weeks | Allow up to 10 weeks before calling about the refund | Paper returns may take longer than e-filed returns | WV tracker ↗ |
| Wisconsin | — | Processing time varies by return | Paper returns generally take longer than e-filed returns | WI tracker ↗ |
States with no personal income tax refund
These states do not tax wages, so there is no state individual income tax refund to track. Federal refunds still come from the IRS.
Why the same return takes longer in some states
States run separate systems with different fraud filters, W-2 matching dates, and staffing. Some hold refunds until employer wage reports arrive; others release automated refunds within days. Read how refund timelines work.
What adds time to any state refund
Paper filing, math errors, identity verification letters, claimed credits, and debt offsets all extend the wait. See the common causes of delay.