The submission of IRS returns begins on Tuesday, April 1, and many taxpayers are already anticipating their refunds. The government expects that the refund period will be expedited.
The Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, Cláudia Reis Duarte, stated in an interview over the weekend that the reduction in the average time for IRS refunds will continue this year, decreasing from the 13 days recorded in 2024.
“Last year, during the 2024 campaign, which referred to 2023 income, the average refund time was slightly below 13 days. Therefore, the expectation is to continue reducing this period, especially with automatic IRS,” Cláudia Reis Duarte explained.
Refund Depends on Individual Tax Declarations
The Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs noted, however, that the average refund time depends on individual tax declarations. This is influenced by each taxpayer’s specific circumstances, the complexity of their fiscal situation, or even the number of attachments in the annual tax return.
She pointed out that the expansion of cases covered by automatic IRS, along with increased usage of this system by taxpayers, allows for further reduction of refund times.
“With a growing number of pre-filled declarations using automatic IRS, the expectation is to gradually reduce the average refund times,” Cláudia Reis Duarte remarked.
In 2024, the average refund time for around six million declarations processed by the Tax and Customs Authority (AT) by August 1 was 24.2 days, whereas for automatic IRS, this average was 12.9 days.
“Errors” in IBAN Indication Cause IRS Declaration Delays
In the same interview, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs emphasized the necessity for taxpayers to provide or confirm the IBAN in their IRS declaration, as failure to do so has caused processing delays in numerous declarations.
Besides the importance of correctly identifying the IBAN, the official urges taxpayers to use the three months available for submitting their annual income declaration, avoiding last-minute submissions.
“Avoid leaving it until the last days to prevent any constraints in submission,” advised the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, adding that this year’s declaration has few differences from previous years.
