Tax filing season officially starts for individuals on Friday, February 12th, when the IRS begins accepting and processing 2020 income tax returns. Ordinarily, tax filing starts in the third week of January. However, with all the last-minute tax changes in 2020, including a second round of Economic Impact Payments, the IRS needed extra time to update its systems.
The IRS has already started begun accepting business returns and individual returns from taxpayers who are eligible to use IRS Free File partners (https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free). The IRS anticipates that nine out of ten taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of filing electronically if there are no issues with the tax return.
The IRS has five tips to avoid having issues with your return:
- There is no extension of the April 15 tax filing deadline. If you need more time to file, you can extend filing until October 15, by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. But remember, it’s an extension of time to file, not to pay. Pay any taxes due with the extension request, no later than April 15.
- Taxpayers are urged to file returns electronically as soon as they have the 2020 tax documentation that they need. Filing early is a good idea for several reasons. First, processing volumes are lower at the IRS and state tax agencies, resulting in faster refunds. Filing early also gets ahead of potential scammers filing a fraudulent tax return with a valid tax ID.
- Returns involving the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) need additional processing time to help the IRS stop fraudulent refunds and claims from being issued to identity thieves. By law, refunds for EITC and ACTC taxpayers cannot be issued before mid-February. Because the IRS isn’t processing returns until February 12, their refunds should start arriving in the first week of March.
- Electronic tax refunds and payments are the safest and fastest method for financial transactions with federal and state tax agencies. Your tax preparer can usually set them up using authorized tax software. Tax agency websites include links for payments via bank account or credit card. However, these sites don’t have a refund option.
- Advance stimulus payments, a.k.a. Economic Impact Payments, do not reduce a taxpayer’s refund or payment due for 2020. Eligible taxpayers who received less than the maximum stimulus payment amount could claim the Recovery Rebate Credit and increase her or his 2020 federal income tax refund. Anyone who received the maximum amount does not need to include any information about the payment when filing.
The IRS begins accepting and processing 2020 income tax returns on February 12, about three weeks later than usual because of last-minute tax law changes passed in December. Taxpayers who want a smooth tax filing experience should follow these five IRS tips.