Claiming EITC or ACTC Tax Credits

For those of you filing early and claiming either the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), the IRS will process your returns, but will not issue refunds before Feb. 15. The reason for this is the PATH Act of 2015, which requires the IRS to hold the refund for tax returns that include the EITC or ACTC until Feb. 15.

Refunds likely won’t arrive in bank accounts or debit cards until the week of Feb. 27, as long as you chose direct deposit and there are no processing issues.