How To Get an Advance on Your 2025 Tax Return

By U.S. News & World Report
December 11, 2025 | 7:00 PM

While we all love the idea of a big tax refund in the spring, sometimes you need those funds sooner. That’s where a tax refund loan comes in. But while these loans can get you early access to funds, they can be expensive and unnecessary.

“Consumers should carefully consider the advantages of having quicker access to the money versus the costs incurred to obtain the loan,” says April Walker, senior manager of tax practice and ethics with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Read below to learn how to get a tax refund loan, where to find one and if it’s the best option for you.

What Is a Tax Refund Loan?

When you file your tax return, you may end up owing the government money or getting a refund from the government. If you are due a refund, you can usually get the funds within three weeks of filing your taxes if you e-file and choose to receive a direct deposit.

But taxpayers who need money quickly may be able to take out a tax refund loan, also known as a refund advance loan or a refund anticipation loan. This is a product that provides you with part of an expected tax refund faster than the IRS can send the money.

[Read: Best Personal Loans.]

Where Can You Get Tax Refund Loans?

You cannot get a tax refund loan from a bank directly. Instead, tax preparation companies often offer refund advance loans. Using one of these services could get you funds sooner than you’d get your tax refund, but make sure you understand the costs. Keep in mind that you may be on the hook for a tax preparation fee when you use one of these companies, and you will need to meet eligibility requirements.

Jackson Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt will offer two types of tax refund loans for the 2025 tax year at participating locations.

The Early Tax Refund Advance loan — available now through Jan. 11, 2026 — is designed to give you advance funds from your refund to help cover unexpected expenses during the holidays. Starting Jan. 2, 2026, you can apply for a Tax Refund Advance loan after you file your tax return with Jackson Hewitt.

H&R Block

At participating offices, H&R Block will offer its Emerald Advance Loan through December 2025 and its no-interest Refund Advance Loan in January 2026. You can apply by making an appointment to file your taxes with H&R Block either in office or remotely.

TurboTax

If you file with TurboTax, you can apply for this advance when you choose your refund method.

[Read: 0% Introductory APR Credit Cards]

How Do Tax Refund Advance Loans Work?

If your tax preparer offers refund advance loans, you can usually apply for one during the tax filing process. The funds you receive in advance will be paid back to the lender, along with other charges, when the government sends your full refund. At that point you’ll receive whatever remains of your full refund after the advance is repaid.

Expect to qualify for only a percentage of your estimated refund as a loan. Most tax refund loans are available starting in December or January, says Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor. This can let taxpayers get access to funds sooner than if they waited for the IRS.

Farrington says tax anticipation loans are generally geared toward taxpayers who are eligible for the earned income tax credit or the additional child tax credit. If you qualify for one of these two tax credits, you could expect to get your refund by March 3 if you filed online, elected to get your refund via direct deposit and had no problems with your tax return.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Tax Refund Loans?

Pros

— You’ll have quick access to funds. If you need funds sooner than the IRS can get you your tax refund, a tax refund loan can help.

— It can be a less-expensive option. If you are considering a payday or title loan, a tax refund loan may be less expensive.

Cons

— It’s a high price. Refund anticipation loans may come with high fees. Even if a company says it offers a 0% APR on a tax refund loan, it may find other ways to collect fees. “A lot of companies make you put the refund on a prepaid debit card, so the loan doesn’t have a fee, but the prepaid card has a fee,” Farrington says.

— You might owe money. It is possible that the IRS will adjust your refund based on errors in the return or other adjustments, such as past-due taxes. “In this situation, you would still be liable for the entire amount of the loan,” Walker says.

— Approval isn’t guaranteed. If your return is complicated or you don’t meet a company’s minimum refund amount, for example, you may not be eligible.

Alternatives to Tax Refund Loans

Want to avoid taking out a tax refund loan? Read below to see other alternatives that may be less costly.

— Take out a personal loan. If you need money quickly, a personal loan can be used for a variety of reasons, including bills and emergency expenses. Interest rates generally range from 6% to 36%, depending on your credit score, loan amount, repayment term and other factors. Personal loans usually have fixed interest rates, so the monthly payment will stay the same during the term. Loan amounts can range from $1,000 to $50,000 or sometimes up to $100,000.

— Use a different bank account. Some banks may release tax refunds earlier than others. For example, Chime and Varo both say they can provide tax refunds up to five days early.

— File your taxes quickly and correctly. According to the IRS, most taxpayers receive their refunds in fewer than 21 days if they file electronically and opt for direct deposit. It can take four or more weeks to process mailed returns and paper checks. You’ll also want to be sure to avoid mistakes to avoid a delay.

— Change your tax withholding. If you often get a large tax refund, you can fill out a new W-4 form to reduce your withholding. This can mean more money available in your regular paycheck. Talk to your employer’s payroll or human resources department to change your withholding. You can use the official IRS withholding calculator to figure out how to break even on your tax return. Just remember that you won’t receive a large tax refund next year. This strategy won’t help you access your current tax refund faster, but it will ensure that your money is spread out more evenly in the future.

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How To Get an Advance on Your 2025 Tax Return originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 12/12/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

Asia’s next great gourmet destination? Inside Indonesia’s fine-dining revolution

By CNN
August 11, 2026 | 5:44 AM

More than 120 years ago, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, National Geographic magazine’s first female writer, photographer and board member, chronicled her travels through colonial Indonesia in her book “Java: The Garden of the East.”She was particularly fascinated by a feast known as the rijsttafel (rice table), a multi-dish banquet that was served in the grand Hotel de Nederlanden in Batavia, as Jakarta was known then.Scidmore vividly recalled a “conglomerate mountain” of food, including bits of fish, duck, chicken, beef, omelettes and onions piled alongside steaks, salads, curries, chutneys, spices and tropical fruits.The sumptuous spread had something to satisfy everyone amongst the 100 or so guests that filled the grand dining hall — even the “squeamish folk, unseasoned tourists and well-starched Britons with a small sense of humor.”Like Scidmore, most early Western documentation of Indonesia’s flavors focused on the opulent colonial feast. Little else was known about the diverse and rich flavors found across the enormous archipelago, in spite of it being home to the fabled Spice Islands, which sparked a 16th- and 17th-century “spice rush” for cloves, nutmeg and mace by Portuguese, Dutch and British traders.In more recent decades, the world has become better acquainted with some of the beloved humble foods found in Indonesian homes and warungs (street-side eateries), with satay, nasi goreng and beef rendang among the most familiar dishes beloved by travelers.But now, there’s a rising number of contemporary chefs who are elevating the national cuisine on the global stage by reimagining its famous spices into fine-dining experiences, while sharing the sophisticated stories of Indonesian flavor through a different lens.Made up of thousands of islands dotted across two oceans, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic country. It would be an understatement to say the country’s cuisine is wildly varied.As a result, “the existing understanding of Indonesian food culture is very shallow,” says William Wongso, an Indonesian culinary expert and author.Boasting an enviable array of regional ingredients and flavors, the country’s chefs have been working to educate international gourmets — and even locals — about the beauty of Indonesian cuisine.And Jakarta, its capital city, has become a breeding ground for the movement. Wongso compares it to the dining scenes in New York or Shanghai, which draw talent from all over their respective countries. “Everybody wants to come here to make a thing,” he says. “So people from different regions bring flavors and food cultures.”Some open humble warungs and serve their home cooking. A few look beyond recipes and focus on elements that make Indonesian cuisine unique for a wider audience, reinventing the whole experience.A modern, fine-dining blueprintEnter August, which opened in 2021 inside a gleaming skyscraper in Jakarta’s central business district.The duo behind the concept, Jakartan Hans Christian and Budi Cahyadi from the Indonesian island of Lombok, were definitely not the first people to promote Indonesian flavors — Christian emphasizes figures like Wongso, for example, who have been championing gastro-diplomacy abroad for decades.But August has spearheaded a new format and standard for the country’s fine-dining restaurants: a modern, Indonesia-inspired tasting menu operating at a world-class level of culinary execution and service.The industry has already noticed. August became one of the few Indonesian restaurants to achieve international recognition, placing 42nd on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 and earning accolades at The Best Chef Awards.“When I came back to Jakarta, you either had classic French fine dining or very casual bistros, mostly run by expat chefs,” says Christian, who sharpened his skills in Malaysia and the United States before returning to Jakarta in 2016.“There were no locally grown chefs doing their own thing with their own roots or interpretations. For me, August is about the pride of telling our own story … and a responsibility to not only embrace our roots, but also relearn them.”Cahyadi, with more than a decade of hospitality experience in a luxury hotel, agrees. He currently helms the front of house in August’s dining room.“In Jakarta, you either had to pick a place where the food was good but the service was lousy, or a casual place where service was bad but food was decent. When I met Hans, I knew it was time for a place where food is excellent and hospitality is delivered at the exact same time,” he says.In 2019, the two started August as a private kitchen concept before turning it into the current restaurant in 2021.Inside August’s intimate dining room — warmly lit with dark wood accents and a bright, open stainless-steel kitchen at the end of the dining room — the restaurant’s two tasting menus blend familiar Indonesian flavor profiles into completely unexpected forms.Their daikon dish is inspired by the format of Japanese agedashi tofu — silken tofu coated in starch, deep-fried until golden brown and traditionally dressed in dashi sauce.August’s version is served with a cuko sauce — a sweet and sour reduction made with tamarind and palm sugar featuring a tangy umami taste.It reminds locals of eating pempek, the Indonesian fishcake. A drizzle of andaliman pepper oil, Indonesia’s version of Sichuan peppercorns, gives the dish a unique, numbing spicy kick.Another highlight features Japanese Kimendai fish cooked by pouring hot oil over the scales until it crisps up while keeping the flesh tender. It sits in a kuah garang asem (yellow sour curry sauce) from the Central Java region.The sourness comes from a native green fruit called belimbing wuluh (or bilimbi), which looks like an oblong tomato but tastes extremely acidic, while ginger flowers provide a touch of freshness.The curry base is made from a yellow bumbu — made of aromatics such as turmeric and lemongrass. Often compared with France’s mother sauces (a group of five master sauces, such as Béchamel and Hollandaise, that are said to be the foundation of classical French cooking), Indonesian bumbu are spiced sauces that take hours to caramelize and form the base of many different dishes.Christian says that August has slowly evolved over the years, with more Indonesian flavors being incorporated into his menu as the team gains confidence and the demand grows.“In the beginning, our menu leaned more towards classic European because that was my formal training. When more international guests came, they expected more Indonesian flavor,” says Christian.Now, with half of their guests coming from overseas, the team tries to find the balance carefully without being intimidating.“Finding that balance was crucial — doing modern Indonesian cooking in a way that’s exciting for locals without just putting expensive ingredients in a traditional dish. We want to start from a product or a cooking method and create something new out of that idea,” says Christian.The founders admit that Jakarta has few fine dining concepts compared to fellow Southeast Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and Bangkok.“We knew we were a few years behind, but we are in progress to catch up. Over the years, the interest from people who want to learn and taste the flavor of Indonesia is growing,” says Christian. “For the past five to six years, we’ve been on a mission to prove people wrong.”It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t just about the menus, but the operation.They were the first restaurant to impose a reservation fee for diners in Jakarta. It also took a few years to educate their diners to be punctual for the tasting menu so the table could start the menu together – an often tricky feat in Jakarta traffic.But August’s success helped set new operational benchmarks for the city, proving that local diners were ready to enjoy high-end tasting menus.In the years since, Jakarta’s fine-dining community has expanded rapidly.ESA, opened in 2023, proudly offers a menu called New Jakarta Cuisine. Kindling, which opened the following year, blends Indonesian-Chinese dishes with French technique. Selera, newly opened this year in the Keraton at the Plaza hotel, emphasizes the nation’s culinary heritage with local ingredients.Outside the capital, things are changing, too, particularly in the country’s tourist hotspots. Bali, for example, has evolved to offer more than just fine resort dining and Western restaurants catering to visitors.Locavore NXT, helmed by Dutch-Indonesian duo Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, serves a tasting menu that highlights local ingredients. The independent concept also has a farm, laboratory and store.Meanwhile, young, local and independent concepts are slowly increasing elsewhere in the country.Overlooking the historical Prambanan Temple and Mount Merapi, Suwatu in Yogyakarta, the royal cultural heart of Java, is an upscale hillside restaurant with a menu packed with local dishes cooked by local villagers.In Bandung, both MMBS (Mari Merangkai Bunga Seroja) and Plataran Bandung serve local Sundanese cuisine, with hyper-seasonal tasting menus featuring a creative twist.Not just about the price tagAt the same time, classic Indonesian restaurants are reexamining the stories they would like to tell.For a long time, the 1945 Restaurant inside the Fairmont Jakarta has been regarded as the city’s only high-end Indonesian restaurant in a five-star hotel.Taking over as the chef de cuisine this year, Yopi Tumeru has been determined to inject fresh ideas into the 11-year-old establishment — and he was inspired by the traditional rijsttafel concept.His vision of the legendary feast isn’t only a sumptuous buffet but an educational exploration of Indonesian cuisine.“For many years, Indonesian food was presented either as home cooking, street food or part of a hotel buffet… Our Rijsttafel was designed as a culinary journey through the archipelago. We preserve the generous and communal character of the traditional experience while refining the portions, presentation and sequence,” Tumeru says.The menu includes dishes such as wagyu beef rendang, duck leg confit with sambal madura, tuna collar rica-rica (rahang tuna), tempe nachos and es teler cheesecake — all created to shine new light onto old dishes.For chefs like Tumeru, presenting Indonesian cuisine in a haute gastronomic format isn’t just about slapping on higher price tags and using expensive ingredients.They are proudly showcasing the often undervalued Indonesian cuisine — from the ingredients, the knowledge and the labor to the cultural heritage.“Rendang, for example, is not simply beef cooked in coconut milk. It requires patience, careful control of the heat, and an understanding of how the spices develop over time,” says Tumeru, who feels chefs have a responsibility to help guests appreciate that complexity.Despite giving Indonesian cuisine an upscale makeover, all of the chefs insist their roots and hearts remain with the humble, family-run warung. They encourage diners to ask for street-food tips, which might otherwise feel intimidating without a local guide.The movement isn’t about replacing affordable neighborhood joints. It’s about broadening how the world sees Indonesian food, using fine dining as a welcoming gateway into their country’s vast culinary heritage.“There is still a mindset that Indonesian food cannot be expensive — that is not true,” says Wongso.“These high-end restaurants, if they’re doing it right, they’re quite helpful in changing people’s mindsets. Indonesian food cannot be cheap. It takes immense labor and skill. A single sauce or spice paste takes hours of balancing and preparation. You can Google many things, but you can’t Google taste.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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