INT stands for interest the IRS paid you on your delayed refund

When you see "INT" printed on your mailed tax refund check, it means the Internal Revenue Service added interest to your refund because the check took longer than the standard processing time to reach you. The IRS is required by law to pay you interest on refunds that are delayed beyond 45 days from the date you filed your return (or the return's due date, whichever is later).

The interest amount is usually small—often just a few dollars—but it is real money the IRS owes you, and it appears as a separate line item on your check stub or the documentation that came with your check. You do not have to do anything to receive this interest; the IRS calculates and includes it automatically.

This is different from a refund that arrives on time. If your check shows up within 45 days, there will be no INT line, and you will receive only the refund amount you are owed.

Key Takeaways

  • INT on your check means the IRS paid you interest because your refund was delayed more than 45 days after you filed.
  • The interest rate is set by the IRS quarterly and is based on the federal short-term rate plus 3 percent.
  • You do not need to report this interest as income on a future tax return—the IRS has already accounted for it.
  • The INT amount is usually small, but you should verify it matches the delay period if you want to confirm the calculation is correct.

How the IRS calculates the interest amount

The IRS uses a specific formula to determine how much interest to add. The interest rate changes every quarter and is published by the IRS in advance. For 2024, the rate has varied between 8 percent and 9 percent annually, depending on the quarter. The IRS applies this rate to your refund amount for each day the check was delayed beyond the 45-day window.

For example, if your refund was $2,000 and it was delayed 60 days (15 days past the 45-day threshold), and the quarterly rate was 8 percent, the interest would be calculated on those 15 extra days. The actual dollar amount is usually modest—often between $1 and $20 for most refunds—but larger refunds or longer delays can result in higher interest payments.

You do not need to calculate this yourself. The IRS does the math and prints the INT amount on your check documentation. If you want to verify the calculation, you can contact the IRS at 800-829-1040, but most people find the amount is correct.

Why your refund was delayed in the first place

Refunds take longer than 45 days for several reasons. The most common cause is that you filed by mail instead of electronically—mailed returns take longer to process because they must be physically received, opened, and scanned into the IRS system. If you filed electronically but your return was selected for review or contained errors that required manual correction, that also delays the refund.

Identity verification holds, missing information on your return, or a mismatch between your return and IRS records can also push processing past 45 days. During tax season peaks (typically March through May), even straightforward returns sometimes take longer because of volume.

The INT line on your check is the IRS's way of compensating you for the inconvenience and the time value of money—you were may have access to to that refund sooner, and the interest acknowledges that delay.

What to do with the INT amount when you cash the check

Cash or deposit the entire check amount, including the INT portion. There is no separate process for the interest—it is all one check. When you deposit it into your bank account, the full amount (refund plus interest) will be credited to your account.

Do not try to separate the interest from the refund amount. Your bank will not allow you to deposit part of a check, and the IRS has already accounted for the interest in the total check amount printed on the front.

Do you have to report the interest as income on your next tax return?

No. The interest the IRS pays on a delayed refund is not taxable income and does not need to be reported on your next tax return. The IRS does not send you a Form 1099-INT for this interest, and you should not include it in your income calculations.

This is one of the few types of interest income that the IRS does not require you to report. The interest is considered compensation for the delay, not earnings from an investment or savings account.

If your check shows INT but you filed electronically and received your refund quickly

This is rare, but it can happen if there was a processing error or if the IRS's internal records show a later processing date than when you actually received the check. If you received your refund within 45 days of filing but the check still shows INT, contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 with your check and the date you received it. They can review whether the interest was added in error.

Keep the check stub or documentation that came with your check—this shows the filing date, the check date, and the INT amount, and it will help the IRS investigate if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I request a larger interest payment if my refund was delayed longer?

No. The IRS calculates interest automatically based on the quarterly rate and the number of days delayed. You cannot request a higher amount. If you believe the calculation is wrong, you can contact the IRS to ask them to review it, but you cannot negotiate the rate or the amount.

What if I never received the check with INT on it?

If your mailed check was lost or never arrived, contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 or use the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov. The IRS can issue a replacement check, and the interest will be recalculated based on the new check date. You will not lose the interest you were owed.

Does INT appear on direct deposit refunds?

No. If you chose direct deposit instead of a mailed check, the interest is deposited directly into your bank account along with the refund amount. You will not see "INT" printed anywhere—the full amount (refund plus interest) straightforward appears in your account. You may see the breakdown in your IRS account online if you log in to IRS.gov.

Is the INT interest rate the same every year?

No. The IRS sets the interest rate quarterly, and it changes based on federal rates. The rate can vary from year to year and even within the same year. The rate that applies to your refund depends on which quarter the delay occurred in.