IR 2026: Revenue today pays the largest batch of refunds in history
The payment of the first batch of the 2026 Income Tax refund will be made this Friday (29).
The Federal Revenue's projection is to pay around R$ 16 billion reais.
The amount - which benefits around 8.7 million taxpayers in the first group - will be the largest ever refunded by the Tax Authorities in the entire history of IR for individuals.
Refund deposits will be made, according to the Revenue, throughout the day, depending on the processing of the money by each bank. Taxpayers who chose to receive via Pix will have priority.
Also according to the Revenue, the amount paid in this first batch represents 40% of the entire amount that will be refunded in 2026. The percentage of taxpayers covered is also 40% of the total entitled to payments.
This Friday's batch will also be the largest among the four carried out by the Tax Authorities in the payment of refunds this year. The last amount will be paid on August 28th.
Checking whether or not you are in the first batch can be done on the official Revenue website, in the "Check my refund" section.
The Federal Revenue attributed the record amount paid in this first batch to "technological improvements" in the processing of the declarations sent, which allowed the amounts to be "anticipated and paid more quickly".
"It is a direct result of the agency's operational capacity to process millions of declarations in the short term, benefiting priority taxpayers and also those who have adopted digital tools, such as pre-filled declarations and receipt via Pix", said the IRS in a note.
"The announcement meets an expectation awaited by millions of Brazilians: receiving the refund sooner and with greater predictability", added the agency.
The amount paid this Friday will be 45% higher than the first batch of the 2025 refund, which was the largest in history until now. Last year, payments were R$11 billion for 6.2 million taxpayers.
Division by groups
Within the R$16 billion paid in this 1st batch, 50% of the money - that is, R$8.64 billion - will go to taxpayers who have some priority in receipts.
According to the Revenue, the declarants who will benefit will be the following:
- 256 thousand elderly people over 80 years old;
- 2.25 million elderly people between 60 and 79 years old;
- 222 thousand people with disabilities, physical or mental, or with some serious illness;
- 1.05 million IR taxpayers whose main source of income is teaching;
- 4.95 million taxpayers who used the pre-filled declaration and opted for refund via PIX.
Refund schedule
The second round of payments will be paid at the end of next month. See the complete calendar of IR 2026 refund batches:
- First batch: May 29th;
- Second batch: June 30th;
- Third batch: July 31st;
- Fourth batch: August 28th.
Although there are priority rules for receipt, the Revenue clarifies that they are a reference standard only, and that even those who have met the requirements may end up being "behind" in the first batches.
For those who do not receive payment this Friday, consultation as to whether the taxpayer will be included in the second batch of refunds can be made from June 23rd - one week before the start of the next refunds.
It is worth remembering that, also this Friday, in addition to the payment of the first batch, the deadline for sending IR 2026 declarations ends. Taxpayers who miss the deadline, at 11:59 pm, may be fined.
*Under the supervision of João Nakamura
Federal Revenue foresees 44 million Income Tax declarations for 2026 | CNN NEW DAY
Source: CNN