After you file

The IRS  says 9 out of 10 filers who efile and choose direct deposit will get their refunds within 21 days.  You can  monitor it with the IRS tool mentioned below.

NOTE:  If you chose to pay any TurboTax fees out of your Federal refund, that is another link in the chain, since your funds go first from the IRS to an intermediary bank where the fees are subtracted.  Then that intermediary bank sends the rest of the funds to your bank in a second direct deposit.

Also, if you have EIC (earned income credit, aka EITC) or ACTC (additional child tax credit), the IRS will not start releasing those refunds until February 15.  That means people with those types of credits may not start receiving their refunds until around February 27.