View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
The Internal Revenue Service has announced that it will begin accepting and processing tax returns in two weeks.
Tax season will officially start Monday, Jan. 27. The IRS expects more than 140 million individual returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the April 15 deadline. The agency began accepting returns via IRS Free File Program on Jan. 10 but they won’t be processed until the official start date.
Most filers who submit their returns digitally receive their refunds within 21 days but paper filers will have to wait for at least four weeks for information on the status of their return. You can track your refund using the Where’s My Refund tool within 24 hours of e-filing. In both cases, the information updates overnight so there’s no need to check more than once a day, according to the IRS.
Taxpayers seeking the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for Other Dependents will experience delays in receiving their refunds because of additional identity verification processes. The IRS has yet to announce when these refunds will be issued.
Open Direct File
Taxpayers in 25 states have the option to file their taxes for free directly through the IRS.
Last year, a Direct File pilot program included twelve states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State, and Wyoming. This year, the service is expanding to include residents of Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Direct File includes a new feature this year that will allow taxpayers to opt-in to automatically import data from the IRS account, including personal information, the taxpayer’s IP Pin and some information from their W-2.
IRS Free File Program
IRS Free File Program is open now. It allows taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross Income of $84,000 or less to use tax preparation software for free. People who use Free File can fill out their forms now and they will be processed starting Jan. 27.
Free tax preparation is also available through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly.
