Requirement for Bank Account information for Refunds

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
April 29, 2026
2 replies
14 views

I submitted a 2025 return for my 93 year old mother without realizing there is now a requirement for all refunds to be direct deposit. She has always received a paper check and has no online account. Is there a way, other than the hassle of setting up an ID.me account on the IRS website, for providing the bank account information; or better yet, is there a way to have this one refund sent via a paper check? I tried to see if using Turbo Tax could be used to Efile an Amended Return with only the Bank Account information but it doesn't seem to be able to do that, unless I didn't take the process far enough.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Dave.

xmasbaby0

Level 15

Filing an amended return would be useless. It takes the IRS about four months to process an amended return; changing banking information is not a reason to amend.

https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/news/tax-tips/direct-deposit-changes-for-2026-could-affect-how-and-when-you-get-your-refund/2026/01/

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp53e-notice

You may get this notice— a cp53a notice

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp53a-notice

If you take NO action—-the IRS will freeze your refund for at least six weeks and then mail you a check.

If your refund is sent back to the IRS—- make certain that the address you entered on your Form 1040 is correct. And…open all mail, even if it looks like junk mail.

And……if you choose “refund processing” or the “5 day early” offer, those involve a third party bank; sadly, you will have a lot of additional aggravation in tracking down your refund and getting a check.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

CatinaT1

Level 15

You don't amend to add bank information.

It will take a while, but they will eventually send a paper check. You can find more information in this article.

The IRS will send you a CP53E notice, which explains what you need to do next.

The notice asks you to add or update direct deposit information using your IRS Online Account .
You generally have 30 days to respond.
If you don’t take any action, the IRS will issue a paper check after six weeks.

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