Many taxpayers continue to wait for a refund from the IRS, at a time when the declaration submission campaign is still taking place on the Finance Portal. The (AT) took stock of the situation and revealed the average payment deadlines, but there are taxpayers who say they have been waiting longer.
AT indicated that the average payment time for refunds is 12 days in the case of Automatic Income Tax and 20 days for those who submit the Model 3 declaration. The information was disclosed in a publication by the Tax Authorities on social media, where several users contested the numbers, reporting longer waits. AT’s own publication mentions more than 956 thousand refunds paid and almost 832 million euros returned to families.
Average deadlines are not a guarantee for everyone
The numbers released by the IRS are averages, not guaranteed deadlines for all taxpayers. This means that there are declarations that are paid faster and others that may take longer, especially when they require additional validations, have discrepancies, include more complex attachments or were sent using Model 3 instead of Automatic Income Tax.
The difference between the two regimes is relevant. Automatic Income Tax tends to be faster because the declaration is pre-filled by the Federal Revenue, with a provisional entry presented to the taxpayer. In Model 3, the process may require greater verification of submitted data.
Until when can AT pay?
Despite the average deadlines announced, the legal deadline is longer. According to the 2026 Income Tax calendar, the declaration can be submitted between April 1st and June 30th. The Federal Revenue Service must issue the settlement note by July 31st and the refund must be paid by August 31st, as long as the declaration has been delivered within the legal deadline and does not present any discrepancies.
In other words, waiting more than 12 or 20 days can be frustrating, but it does not necessarily mean that there is legal non-compliance on the part of AT.
What status is the declaration in?
Those who have not yet received it should start by checking the status of the declaration on the Finance Portal. The declaration may appear as received, being validated, certain, in processing, with settlement processed, refund issued or payment confirmed. Each state corresponds to a different phase of the process.
If the declaration has just been received or is being validated, it means that the IRS is still confirming the data. When it appears as a correct statement, no central errors have been detected. The processed calculation indicates that the tax receivable or payable has been calculated.
When a refund appears issued, the payment order has already been given, usually taking a matter of days until the amount arrives in the account. The final stage is confirmed payment. Montepio explains these steps and reminds you that monitoring can be done directly on the Finance Portal.
Why might it be taking longer?
There are several reasons that may delay your refund. Discrepancies in data, validation of expenses, income from different categories, delivery of additional attachments, incorrect or non-existent IBAN, tax debts or pending processes can interfere with the speed of payment.
There may also be differences between taxpayers who submitted at the beginning of the campaign and those whose declaration was subject to subsequent verifications.
If there is a central error, the taxpayer must correct the declaration. As a rule, while the campaign is open, a replacement declaration can be submitted, as long as the applicable deadlines and conditions are respected. Caixa Econômica Federal reminds that, if the declaration was submitted within the legal deadline, the taxpayer has 30 days after submission to present a replacement declaration without fine, when the error is detected before June 30th.
How to know if you will receive or pay
To understand whether there is a right to a refund, the taxpayer must complete or confirm the declaration and carry out the simulation on the Federal Revenue Portal. This simulation shows the provisional result of the settlement, including collection deductions, withholding taxes and any amount receivable or payable.
In Automatic IRS, the provisional settlement is presented before confirmation. In Model 3, the taxpayer must validate and simulate the declaration before sending, ensuring that all data is correct.
What to do if you keep waiting
If the declaration is correct, but the refund has not yet arrived, the first step is to confirm the status on the Federal Revenue Portal and check if the IBAN is correct. You must also confirm if there are any discrepancies, notifications or messages in the personal area of the Finance Portal. If the situation has been stopped for a long time or there is an anomaly, you can contact AT through the e-balcon or the telephone call center.
Until the end of August, however, the refund can still be paid within the legal deadline. Only after this period, in certain situations, can the question of compensatory interest arise, when the legal conditions are met.
In the end, the message is twofold: the IRS says that refunds are taking, on average, 12 days for Automatic Income Tax and 20 days for Model 3, but these amounts do not prevent some taxpayers from waiting longer. The essential thing is to monitor the progress of the declaration and check if there are any errors, discrepancies or missing data.
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