Every year, thousands of Portuguese people anxiously await the arrival of their IRS refund. An amount that can be used to reinforce savings, pay off expenses or even plan a vacation. But how long does it actually take for the money to enter the account? And who is entitled to receive this amount?
Who is entitled to an IRS refund?
According to Executive Digest, a website specializing in economics and current affairs, the Income Tax refund is subject to income withholding at source. In other words, only taxpayers who paid more tax than due during the previous year, in this case in 2025, will be able to receive a refund in 2026.
According to the same source, the amount will automatically be used to settle existing debts to the Tax and Customs Authority, with only the remaining balance being transferred to the taxpayer. The minimum amount for issuing a refund is 10 euros, below which no payment is made.
How to follow the declaration
The process is monitored exclusively through the Finance Portal. The procedure requires the taxpayer to authenticate with CPF and access password, access the Income Tax section and consult the declaration for the corresponding year.
For the 2026 refund, this is the 2025 declaration. Once the year has been selected, the status of the declaration will be displayed, which can assume different statuses. A “Certain” declaration indicates that no errors were detected, while “Settlement Processed” confirms that the IRS has completed the calculations.
When the indication is “Refund Issued”, the amount is about to be transferred, usually within three business days. Finally, “Payment Confirmed” indicates that the amount has already entered the taxpayer’s account.
Declaration status and notifications
During the process, other notifications may appear. “Received – awaiting validation” means that the declaration is being analyzed for the correctness of the data, while “Settled with refund issued” indicates that the transfer order has already been issued.
On the other hand, declarations with tax to be paid will receive a bank slip that must be regularized by August 31st.
Ways to receive a refund
The most common refund method continues to be bank transfer, and the IBAN provided must be correct to avoid delays.
Alternatively, if there is no valid IBAN, the amount will be sent by check to the tax address, valid for 60 days for deposit, and can be reactivated within a maximum period of five years.
Estimated deadlines and practical tips
As for the waiting time, there is no exact date. Historically, automatic IR takes an average of 12 days, while manual declaration takes around 17 days.
The Federal Revenue establishes, by law, the deadline for August 31st, as long as the declaration is submitted by June 30th. The sooner your return is filed, the more likely you are to receive your refund sooner.
According to , closely monitoring the status of the declaration and ensuring that the bank details are correct is essential to avoid unnecessary delays.
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