When Can You Start Filing Taxes?

It might still be winter, but just like those April showers, Tax Day will be here before you know it.

While it’s tempting to put off filing your taxes until the last minute, it’s smart not to procrastinate. If you run out of time and file your taxes late, you can expect to get hit with penalties and, if you owe taxes, interest payments on top of the money you already owe. (Getting an extension on your taxes just gives you more time to file your return. You still have to pay what you owe by the April deadline.)

You can avoid all that hassle and expense by filing your taxes early; in fact, you could file your taxes today if you wanted. The IRS is already accepting 2024 tax returns. Here’s what you need to know.

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When can you start filing federal tax returns?

Not the type to wait until the last minute? First of all, good for you! Procrastinating over your taxes is a recipe for a headache. Plus, if you’re owed a refund, the sooner you file, the more quickly you can get your money, assuming there are no complications processing your return.

The IRS doesn’t have a set calendar date for when tax-filing season begins each year, but it’s usually right around the end of January or the beginning of February (kind of like the Super Bowl, but with fewer Taylor Swift sightings).

Tax Day is always either on or very close to April 15, a date that gets moved only to accommodate weekends and holidays. This year is no exception; in 2025, Tax Day is April 15 for most filers.

However, the date the IRS chooses to begin each year’s filing season depends on a number of factors, including changes in tax law and the agency’s overall readiness.

This year, the IRS announced it would begin accepting 2024 tax returns on Jan. 27, meaning we’re already into this year’s filing season. If you file with a tax prep service or accountant before then, they just hold your return until the filing season opens and submit it then.

Building on a pilot it launched last year, the IRS offers Direct File, a program that lets people with simple returns file for free. The agency says more than 140,000 taxpayers used the tool in 2024.

This year, Direct File is back — in spite of some initial confusion. On Feb. 3, Elon Musk posted on X that the government division responsible for building the tool had been “deleted.” As of Feb. 6, however, the Direct File landing page was live and operational. (The IRS had no immediate comment.)

Building on last year’s pilot, Direct File is available for taxpayers who live or work in one of the following 25 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Although Direct File is for federal income taxes only, the platform will direct you to state resources for filing your income taxes there, and most participating states have their systems integrated with it.

Direct File is different from Free File, a longstanding partnership the IRS has with major tax-prep software firms available to individuals and families with adjusted gross incomes of $84,000 or less.

Whether you use Direct File, Free File or another platform to file your taxes, you need to gather the relevant documents beforehand. This includes your W-2 if you earn wages or a salary, and 1099s if you earn income from other sources such as freelance work or interest on a bank account balance.

When can you start filing state taxes?

Although state income taxes aren’t handled by the IRS, most state tax-collecting agencies follow the same calendar as their federal counterpart.

While most states’ tax calendars mirror the IRS’s, there are outliers: New Mexico and Delaware, for instance, have deadlines of April 30, 2025. (Note that New Mexico has an April 15 deadline if you choose to file a paper return instead of filing online.) Nine states don’t levy an income tax; people who live or work in the remaining 41 states and the District of Columbia can check online with their state’s department of revenue for key dates and deadlines.

Why file your taxes early?

Most people aren’t waiting eagerly to file their taxes as soon as possible, but filing early — especially if you have a more complex return — is a smart move.

For starters, if you’re expecting a refund, filing sooner typically means getting that money sooner. (And if you owe taxes due, at least you’ll have a couple months to fit that payment into your budget.) Filing your taxes early also means you’re less likely to be the victim of an identity theft scam where a criminal impersonates you in order to steal your refund. While the IRS and states have been cracking down on the practice, it’s still a risk.

Waiting until the last minute means you’ll probably have a lot of company. With most people filing online these days, the era of long lines at the post office to have taxes postmarked by the deadline is over. But if you have to contact the IRS or need any kind of assistance filing your taxes, you could find yourself in a very long virtual queue if you put it off. Filing early means you’re less likely to encounter lengthy delays on customer-service lines or overloaded websites.

If you need to pay for tax-prep assistance, waiting to file could actually cost you more: It’s become a common tactic for big tax prep companies to adjust (read: increase) prices for their services the closer we get to April 15.

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