Tax season officially starts today with the Internal Revenue Service accepting 2022 returns. And while digitally filed returns that use direct deposit can generally expect refunds within 21 days, a segment of filers will be waiting until at least the end of February.

Filers who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit won’t receive refunds before mid-February. The delay, part of the 2015 PATH Act law passed by Congress, provides additional time for the IRS to stop fraudulent refunds from being issued.

The IRS Where’s My Refund? site is expected to show an updated status for EITC and ACTC filers by Feb. 18. The tax agency said most of those claiming the credits will have funds available in taxpayer bank accounts or on debit cards by Feb. 28 if they chose direct deposit and there are no other issues with the return.

In all, the IRS expects to receive 168 million individual returns with the vast majority coming before the April 18 deadline. People have three extra days to file this year due to the calendar and Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.

Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Oct. 16 to file.

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Get tax help for free

The IRS is once again offering free tax assistance.

The IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs also offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.

The IRS’s Free File program, available only at IRS.gov, allows taxpayers who made $73,000 or less in 2022 to file their taxes electronically for free using software provided by commercial tax filing companies. Free File Fillable forms, a part of this effort, is available to any income level and provides free electronic forms that people fill out and file themselves also at no cost.