IRS cycle code chart 2026, with the 2027 cycle outlook
Short answer
The IRS cycle code chart 2026 maps each weekly posting cycle, numbered 202601 to 202652, to a calendar week that runs Friday to Thursday. Cycle 202604 ran January 23 to 29, 2026, and the first three cycles were dead cycles with no individual account posting. The official 2027 cycle calendar is not yet published.
- 01Cycle format
- YYYYWW for the week; YYYYWWDD for the daily posting date
- 022026 posting week
- Friday to Thursday (for example 202604 = Jan 23 to Jan 29)
- 032026 IMF dead cycles
- 202601, 202602 and 202603
- 04Cycles in 2026
- 52 (2025 ran to cycle 202553)
- 05Refund payment date
- Posting date + 4 business days (direct deposit) or + 6 (paper check)
- 062027 official calendar
- Not yet published; the IRM exhibit is usually updated around January
Is there an official IRS cycle code chart?
Yes. The official IRS cycle code chart for 2026 is in the Internal Revenue Manual, IRM 3.30.123, as Exhibit 3.30.123-2, "2026 ECC-MTB Posting Cycles." ECC-MTB is the IRS computing center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where the master file posts. The same IRM section defines how cycles are numbered and lists the 2026 dead cycles.
Charts shared on forums and social media are usually copies of, or estimates based on, that exhibit. The table below rebuilds the 2026 weeks from the dates the IRM itself states, so every row can be checked against the source.
What the IRS cycle code chart shows
A cycle code is the IRS label for the week, and sometimes the day, that a transaction posted to your account on the Individual Master File (IMF). IRM 3.30.123.4.4 says a posting cycle is a six-digit code: four digits for the year and two for the week. The 2026 posting week runs from Friday through Thursday.
Individual accounts can also post daily. IRM 3.30.123.4.9 gives the daily form as an eight-digit YYYYWWDD code, where the last two digits name the weekday. This is the number you usually see near the return entry on a tax account transcript.
The IRM's own example: IMF daily transactions released on Monday, August 3, 2026 carry the posting cycle 20263102, meaning year 2026, week 31, day 02 (Monday). Accounts that post weekly show 05, because weekly accounts are processed on Thursday, the last day of the posting cycle. For more on reading your own code, see IRS cycle codes.
IRS cycle code chart 2026: every cycle by week
Each 2026 posting cycle below runs Friday to Thursday, counted from the IRM's stated dates for cycle 202604 (Friday, January 23 to Thursday, January 29, 2026). The assessment date column comes from the IRM's 2026 IDRS schedule, which sets the Monday used as the assessment (23C) date for each cycle.
| Cycle | Posting week | Scheduled assessment date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202601 | Fri Jan 2 to Thu Jan 8 | None | Dead cycle for IMF |
| 202602 | Fri Jan 9 to Thu Jan 15 | None | Dead cycle for IMF |
| 202603 | Fri Jan 16 to Thu Jan 22 | None for IMF (Feb 9 for business files) | Dead cycle for IMF |
| 202604 | Fri Jan 23 to Thu Jan 29 | Feb 16 | First IMF posting week; season opened Mon Jan 26 |
| 202605 | Fri Jan 30 to Thu Feb 5 | Feb 23 | - |
| 202606 | Fri Feb 6 to Thu Feb 12 | Mar 2 | - |
| 202607 | Fri Feb 13 to Thu Feb 19 | Mar 9 | Includes Feb 15 (PATH Act date) |
| 202608 | Fri Feb 20 to Thu Feb 26 | Mar 16 | - |
| 202609 | Fri Feb 27 to Thu Mar 5 | Mar 23 | - |
| 202610 | Fri Mar 6 to Thu Mar 12 | Mar 30 | - |
| 202611 | Fri Mar 13 to Thu Mar 19 | Apr 6 | - |
| 202612 | Fri Mar 20 to Thu Mar 26 | Apr 13 | - |
| 202613 | Fri Mar 27 to Thu Apr 2 | Apr 20 | - |
| 202614 | Fri Apr 3 to Thu Apr 9 | Apr 27 | - |
| 202615 | Fri Apr 10 to Thu Apr 16 | May 4 | Includes Apr 15 filing deadline |
| 202616 | Fri Apr 17 to Thu Apr 23 | May 11 | - |
| 202617 | Fri Apr 24 to Thu Apr 30 | May 18 | - |
| 202618 | Fri May 1 to Thu May 7 | May 25 | - |
| 202619 | Fri May 8 to Thu May 14 | Jun 1 | - |
| 202620 | Fri May 15 to Thu May 21 | Jun 8 | - |
| 202621 | Fri May 22 to Thu May 28 | Jun 15 | - |
| 202622 | Fri May 29 to Thu Jun 4 | Jun 22 | - |
| 202623 | Fri Jun 5 to Thu Jun 11 | Jun 29 | - |
| 202624 | Fri Jun 12 to Thu Jun 18 | Jul 6 | - |
| 202625 | Fri Jun 19 to Thu Jun 25 | Jul 13 | - |
| 202626 | Fri Jun 26 to Thu Jul 2 | Jul 20 | - |
| 202627 | Fri Jul 3 to Thu Jul 9 | Jul 27 | - |
| 202628 | Fri Jul 10 to Thu Jul 16 | Aug 3 | - |
| 202629 | Fri Jul 17 to Thu Jul 23 | Aug 10 | - |
| 202630 | Fri Jul 24 to Thu Jul 30 | Aug 17 | - |
| 202631 | Fri Jul 31 to Thu Aug 6 | Aug 24 | IRM example: Mon Aug 3 = 20263102 |
| 202632 | Fri Aug 7 to Thu Aug 13 | Aug 31 | - |
| 202633 | Fri Aug 14 to Thu Aug 20 | Sep 7 | - |
| 202634 | Fri Aug 21 to Thu Aug 27 | Sep 14 | - |
| 202635 | Fri Aug 28 to Thu Sep 3 | Sep 21 | - |
| 202636 | Fri Sep 4 to Thu Sep 10 | Sep 28 | - |
| 202637 | Fri Sep 11 to Thu Sep 17 | Oct 5 | - |
| 202638 | Fri Sep 18 to Thu Sep 24 | Oct 12 | - |
| 202639 | Fri Sep 25 to Thu Oct 1 | Oct 19 | - |
| 202640 | Fri Oct 2 to Thu Oct 8 | Oct 26 | - |
| 202641 | Fri Oct 9 to Thu Oct 15 | Nov 2 | - |
| 202642 | Fri Oct 16 to Thu Oct 22 | Nov 9 | - |
| 202643 | Fri Oct 23 to Thu Oct 29 | Nov 16 | - |
| 202644 | Fri Oct 30 to Thu Nov 5 | Nov 23 | - |
| 202645 | Fri Nov 6 to Thu Nov 12 | Nov 30 | - |
| 202646 | Fri Nov 13 to Thu Nov 19 | Dec 7 | - |
| 202647 | Fri Nov 20 to Thu Nov 26 | Dec 14 | - |
| 202648 | Fri Nov 27 to Thu Dec 3 | Dec 21 | - |
| 202649 | Fri Dec 4 to Thu Dec 10 | Dec 28 | - |
| 202650 | Fri Dec 11 to Thu Dec 17 | Jan 4, 2027 | - |
| 202651 | Fri Dec 18 to Thu Dec 24 | Jan 11, 2027 | - |
| 202652 | Fri Dec 25 to Thu Dec 31 | Jan 18, 2027 | Last 2026 cycle |
What were the IRS cycle codes in 2025?
The 2025 processing year ran to a 53rd cycle. The 2026 IDRS schedule in IRM 3.30.123 still lists cycle 202553, with a Wednesday cutoff of December 31, 2025 and an assessment date of January 19, 2026. That extra week is why a 2025 chart and a 2026 chart do not line up week for week.
If you are reading a 2025 transcript, match the week number against a 2025 calendar, not the 2026 table above. Returns for tax year 2025 mostly posted in 2026 cycles, since the 2026 filing season opened on January 26, 2026.
How 2027 cycles will be numbered
Cycles in 2027 will use the same format, starting with 202701, but the official 2027 posting calendar is not yet published. The IRM exhibit carries a January 1 effective date for 2026, so the 2027 version is expected around the start of 2027. The 2027 IMF dead cycles and the filing season start date are also not yet announced.
What week is cycle 202705?
Projection, not an IRS figure: if the 2027 posting weeks follow the 2026 pattern of Friday-to-Thursday weeks beginning on the first Friday of January, cycle 202701 would run January 1 to 7, 2027, and cycle 202705 would run January 29 to February 4, 2027. We compute this by adding seven days per cycle from Friday, January 1, 2027. The 2026 IDRS schedule supports that starting point, because its last 2026 cycle (202652) closes on Wednesday, December 30, 2026.
Two 2027 dates are fixed by the calendar and the law. February 15, 2027, the earliest date an EITC or ACTC refund can be issued, falls on a Monday that is also the Washington's Birthday federal holiday. The tax year 2026 filing deadline is Thursday, April 15, 2027. For season timing, see the IRS refund schedule chart.
How do I match my cycle to a date?
- Open your tax account transcript for the right tax year in your IRS Individual Online Account.
- Find the eight-digit cycle, for example 20260805.
- Read the first four digits as the year (2026) and the next two as the week (08).
- Find the week in the 2026 table: cycle 202608 ran Friday, February 20 to Thursday, February 26.
- Read the last two digits as the day. 05 is Thursday, so the account posted on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
- If TC 846 posted, add four business days for direct deposit or six for a paper check to estimate the payment date.
Our guide on how to read an IRS transcript shows where the cycle sits on the page.
Limits of cycle code charts
- A cycle tells you when your account last posted, not when a refund will be approved. Only TC 846 schedules money.
- Holds such as TC 570 can post in the same cycle as the return, and the chart cannot predict how long a review lasts.
- Holidays and deferred processing days combine two days of input into one, so a posting can land a day later than the chart suggests.
- Your bank may not credit a deposit on a weekend or federal holiday.
- Where's My Refund updates once a day, usually overnight, on its own schedule.
For a full list of codes, see the IRS transcript codes guide.
Common questions
When is the IRS cycle code chart 2026 released?
The official 2026 posting cycle calendar is already published as Exhibit 3.30.123-2 in IRM 3.30.123, effective January 1, 2026. The 2027 version is not yet published and is expected around January 2027.
What does the 05 at the end of my cycle code mean?
The last two digits are the weekday of posting. 05 means Thursday, which is also the day weekly accounts are processed. 01 is Friday, 02 Monday, 03 Tuesday and 04 Wednesday.
What is a dead cycle?
A dead cycle is a posting week when the master file does not post, while the IRS loads yearly changes. For individual accounts in 2026, cycles 202601 to 202603 were dead, and those transactions posted in cycle 202604.
Does my cycle code tell me when I will get my refund?
Not by itself. It shows when your account posts. Once TC 846 posts, the IRS sets the payment date at four business days after posting for direct deposit, or six for a paper check.
Why did my cycle code change?
The cycle beside the return shows its posting week. Later transactions, such as a TC 290 adjustment or TC 846, post in their own cycles, so newer dates appear as the account updates.
Sources
- IRM 3.30.123, Processing Timeliness: Cycles, Criteria and Critical Dates irs.gov
- IRS Document 6209, Section 8A: Master File Codes irs.gov
- Transcript types for individuals and ways to order them irs.gov
- IRS opens 2026 filing season irs.gov
- When to expect your refund if you claimed the EITC or ACTC irs.gov
We check figures against these official pages. Rules change; confirm anything that affects a deadline or payment with the agency before you act.
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