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These two tax credits may delay your refund, IRS says

(NEXSTAR) – Early filers hoping for a “very large refund” in 2026 may have to wait a little longer than they planned if they claimed these two tax credits.

The IRS says it will not release any refunds until mid-February to taxpayers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).

The delayed distribution is part of the 2015 Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH Act).

“Tax fraud crimes have been on a recent uptick and to safeguard your refund, the IRS has adopted a policy to not release refunds until after February 15th,” H&R Block advises on its website. “This gives the IRS time to stop payment release of any false filings under your identity, thus protecting your refund.”

The IRS advises checking the Where’s My Refund tool in mid- to late-February for a personalized refund date.

Even if you aren’t required to file taxes, you may still want to just to block someone from doing so in your name.

“Let’s say a Social Security recipient, they’re under the filing threshold, or someone else that just has low, low income, they may not file a return and that leaves the door open,” tax attorney Adam Brewer with AB Tax Law told Nexstar. “So even if they don’t have a filing requirement, they’re leaving the door open for a fraudster to come in and file a return.”

Unfortunately, for qualifying, early filers, it’s not just the tax credits that will be delayed, but the entire return. The good news is that they may be able to speed up the refund to as early as March 2 by doing the following:

File your return online

Choose to get your refund by direct deposit

Send in a mistake-free tax return

What are the EITC and ACTC?

The Earned Income Tax Credit helps ease the tax burden for low-to moderate-income workers and families.

To qualify for the EITC, you must have under $11,950 in investment income and earn less than a specific income level from working.

If you’re single with no children, your income level must be $19,104 or below. And if you’re married filing jointly with three or more children, you must make $68,675 or below. To determine if your household qualifies based on your marital status and your number of dependents you can use the online EITC Assistant tool.

The maximum credit amount for eligible taxpayers – who have three or more qualifying children – is $8,046 for tax year 2025.

The Additional Child Tax Credit is the $1,700 refundable portion of the child tax credit.  To claim the ACTC, you must have at least $2,500 of income for the tax year.

For most taxpayers, the 2026 filing season opened Jan. 26 and will close April 15.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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