Get ready for tax season: The IRS just announced that filing will officially open on Jan. 27.
Like last year, the 2025 tax season will begin on the last Monday of January, but this year’s start date is two days earlier on the calendar.
The beginning of tax season opens a 78-day window for over 140 million taxpayers to file individual tax returns for the 2024 tax year, covering income earned from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of last year.
In a news release, the IRS touted that this filing season “will feature expanded and enhanced tools to help taxpayers as a result of the agency’s historic modernization efforts.” Those include text and virtual assistants that can offer tax help as well as new options for completing tax forms on mobile phones.
But whether you’re doing your taxes online or with a tax professional, the agency says to be on the lookout for dangerous tax scams. Taxpayers are often targeted by phishing attempts this time of year, using text messages and emails that claim to be from the IRS. These messages are always fake: The IRS will never reach out to taxpayers via phone, text or email.
How to prepare for tax season
With the official start to tax season now just two weeks away, it’s a good time to start compiling the documents you’re going to need. Keep an eye out for your W-2 in particular: Employers are supposed to send those forms out by Jan. 31.
Tax preparation tools like TurboTax also have calculator tools that can give you early estimates of how much you may owe — or what you can expect to get back in a tax refund.
Want to really get a head start? You can even prepare your taxes with online software now and put your return in a queue to be formally filed when the IRS starts accepting them.
The IRS Free File program is already open. Through a partnership with eight tax preparation companies, millions of taxpayers qualify to do their taxes online at no cost. However, your adjusted gross income must be $84,000 or less to be eligible.
Alternatively, taxpayers in 25 states can use Direct File, the agency’s own free guided tax-filing software. Last year, residents of only 12 states were able to use a pilot version of the program. Direct File will open on Jan. 27 with the start of tax season.
Before you file taxes, you may need to do some math to see if it makes sense to itemize your taxes. For the 2024 tax year, most taxpayers will take the standard deduction of $14,600 for single filers, $21,900 for heads of households and $29,200 for married couples filing jointly. But individuals with allowable deductions exceeding those amounts should usually itemize their taxes. It’s a longer process, but you may get a larger refund or reduce your tax bill.
When are taxes due in 2025?
In 2025, Tax Day is April 15. You should file your taxes in advance of the midnight deadline unless you file for an automatic extension using Form 4868. However, keep in mind that while an extension delays your filing deadline to Oct. 15, it does not extend the time you have to pay any taxes owed to the IRS.
Some taxpayers who live in federally declared disaster areas will have additional time to file. This includes individuals and businesses in Los Angeles County, where wildfires are blazing, and areas affected by the major hurricanes of 2024. You can check if you have a later filing deadline on the IRS website.
When will I get my tax refund?
The IRS says most refunds are issued within 21 days, but it can take more time if you file on paper.
In each of the past two years, over 100 million tax refunds were issued at an average amount of over $3,000. While many taxpayers will receive a nice check again this year, the IRS advises against counting on a refund by a certain date to pay bills as delays are possible.
Electronically filing your taxes and selecting direct deposit as the delivery method will help you receive your money faster. To track the status of your refund, you can use the Where’s My Refund? tool. You’ll just need to plug in your Social Security or taxpayer ID number, filing status and refund amount.
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