The IRS announces the start of the 2025 tax season

the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) On Friday, she announced details of the start of the 2025 tax filing season, which will begin in earnest later this month.

Tax filing season It will open on Monday, January 27, for taxpayers filing their tax returns for tax year 2024. The IRS said it expects more than 140 million individual tax returns to be filed by the federal deadline for filing tax returns for tax year 2024, which will be Tuesday, April 15. .

With nearly half of all returns expected to be filed with the assistance of a tax professional, taxpayers should use a trusted tax professional to avoid potential scams and schemes, the agency added.

This tax filing season will also see new tools available to taxpayers amid the IRS’ modernization efforts. Among the improvements include more access to tax account information from text and voice virtual assistants, expanded features on the IRS Online Individual Account, more access to dozens of tax forms for mobile phone and tablet users, as well as expanded alerts for fraud and schemes targeting Taxpayers.

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The IRS also expanded the Direct File program from last year, which will be available to taxpayers in 25 states when tax season officially begins later this month, after the program was used by 12 states as part of a pilot program last year.

The direct file looks like Business tax software It allows taxpayers to sign up for the Data Import Tool to automatically import information from their IRS account – such as personal information, the taxpayer’s IP PIN, and certain information from their W-2 form. A new chatbot will also be available to help Live File users navigate the eligibility checker.

“This has been a historic period of improvement for the IRS, and people will see additional tools and features to help them file their taxes this tax season,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “These taxpayer-focused improvements we’ve made so far are important, but they’re just the beginning of what the IRS needs to do. More can be done through continued investment in the nation’s tax system.”

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The IRS announcement indicated that most Tax refund They are issued in less than 21 calendar days and taxpayers can use the “Where is my refund?” service. A tool on IRS.gov to check the status of your 2024 income tax refund within 24 hours of electronic filing.

For taxpayers who file a paper return, refund information is usually available four weeks after filing the return. “Where’s my refund?” The tool is updated overnight, so there is no need to check it more than once a day.

“The easiest, safest, and quickest way to get a refund is to file electronically and choose direct deposit. According to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, paper refund checks are 16 times more likely to have a problem, such as the check being lost or misdirected,” the IRS wrote: “Stolen.” Or non-monetary.

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She added that taxpayers should check the FDIC and National Credit Union Administration websites if they don’t have an account. Bank accountwhile veterans can use the Veterans Banking Program to find participating financial institutions.