Tax Filing Season Begins January 26, 2026

Get ready for taxes: What's new and what to consider when filing in 2026

 

IR-2026-02, Jan. 8, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced Monday, January 26, 2026, as the opening of the nation’s 2026 filing season. This year, several new tax law provisions of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill become effective, which could impact federal taxes, credits and deductions.

Taxpayers have until Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to file their 2025 tax returns and pay any tax due. The IRS expects to receive about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, with most taxpayers filing electronically.

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IRS.gov has online tools and resources taxpayers can use before, during and after filing their federal tax return. One, Big, Beautiful Provisions provides information that could help lower tax bills and potentially increase refund amounts.

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“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” said Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent. “Prior to the passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which delivered working families tax cuts, Treasury and IRS were diligently preparing to update forms and processes for the benefit of hardworking Americans, and I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”

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“The Internal Revenue Service is ready to help taxpayers meet their tax filing and payment obligations during the 2026 filing season,” said IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano. “As always, the IRS workforce remains vigilant and dedicated to their mission to serve the American taxpaying public. At the same time, IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate the new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during the filing season.”

IRS Individual Online Account. Taxpayers can access their individual online account information, including balance due, payments made or scheduled, tax records and more.

New Schedule 1-A. Taxpayers will use the new Schedule 1-A to claim recently enacted tax deductions, such as no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on car loan interest and/or the enhanced deduction for seniors.

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Enroll in a Trump Account. Parents, guardians and other authorized individuals can establish a new type of individual retirement account for their children. To learn more, visit trumpaccounts.gov.

Open a bank account. The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to establish a bank account to receive their tax refunds via direct deposit, because the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks due to the executive order, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account.

Forms 1099-K and 1099-DA. Taxpayers should visit IRS.gov and learn what to do if they receive either of these forms. Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, is used to report payments received from credit cards, payments apps and online marketplaces. Form 1099-DA, Digital Assets, is used to report digital asset proceeds from broker transactions. Taxpayers must report all taxable income on their federal tax returns, even if they don’t receive either form.

Where’s My Refund? Refund status information is generally available around 24 hours after e-filing a current-year return, or four weeks after filing a paper return.

Be aware of tax scams and fraud. Taxpayers can learn how to prevent, report and recover from tax scams and tax-related identity theft on IRS.gov.

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With an IRS Online Account, people can:

• View key details from their most recent tax return, such as adjusted gross income.

• Request an Identity Protection PIN.

• Get account transcripts to include wage and income records.

• Sign tax forms like powers of attorney or tax information authorizations.

• View and edit language preferences and alternative media.

• Receive and view over 200 IRS electronic notices.

• View, make and cancel payments.

• Set up or change payment plans and check their balance.​

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New scam alert available on individual Online Account: To help protect taxpayers against emerging threats, there’s a new banner on the Online Account homepage that alerts taxpayers of potential scams and schemes, along with a link to their Digital Notices and Letters page to view correspondence sent to them from the IRS. The feature helps to educate taxpayers on common scams and fraudulent efforts to steal taxpayer information and provide taxpayers with more ability to validate the legitimacy of IRS communications.

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​Mobile-adaptive tax forms: Taxpayers can now access 67 forms on cell phones and tablets. The most recent forms feature “save and draft” capabilities, which allow the taxpayer to start a form, save it and return to it later. The addition of save and draft allows for future capabilities, including the ability for multiple spouses to sign a form.

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Virtual assistants to help with refunds, others questions: Whether a taxpayer uses an online tool or calls the IRS, they will experience upgraded help features. During filing season 2026, the IRS will offer voicebot services to all taxpayers calling the IRS for refund information. The voicebot is available in English and Spanish and has helped thousands of callers without the need to wait for the next available representative. Taxpayers will have to authenticate their identity to gain access to their refund information by providing select information from their tax return.​

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Taxpayers should check Where’s My Refund? on IRS.gov

Most refunds are issued in less than 21 calendar days. Taxpayers can use Where's My Refund? to check the status of their 2026 income tax refund within 24 hours of e-filing. Refund information is normally available after four weeks for taxpayers who filed a paper return. Information on Where's My Refund? will update overnight so there is no need to check the tool more than once a day.

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The easiest, safest and fastest way to receive a refund is to file electronically (e-file) and select direct deposit. According to Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, paper refund checks are 16 times more likely to have an issue, like the check being lost, misdirected, stolen or uncashed. People should check FDIC and National Credit Union Administration websites if they don’t have a bank account. Veterans can use the Veterans Benefits Banking Program to find participating financial institutions.

The IRS also notes that starting Jan. 1, 2025, people will no longer be able to buy paper Series I savings bonds with their tax refund. Instead, Series I bonds are available in electronic format in Treasury Direct.

reference: Irs,gov

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We Provide tax prep for the following return types...

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INDIVIDUAL:

*Form 1040 Individual

*Form 1040 with SchC Sole *Proprietorships

          and small business

*Form 1065 Partnership Return

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CORPORATIONS:

*1120 CCorporations

*1120S SCorporations

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:

*990 Tax Exempt

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OTHER FEDERAL & STATE FILINGS:

*940 Federal Unemployment Tax Filings

*Georgia Sales Tax Filings

*Tax Return Amendments

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Filing Past Due Tax Returns

File all tax returns that are due, regardless of whether or not you can pay in full. File your past due return the same way and to the same location where you would file an on-time return. 

If you have received a notice, make sure to send your past due return to the location indicated on the notice you received.

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Why You Should File Your Past Due Return Now

Avoid interest and penalties

File your past due return and pay now to limit interest charges and late payment penalties.

 

Claim a Refund

You risk losing your refund if you don't file your return. If you are due a refund for withholding or estimated taxes, you must file your return to claim it within 3 years of the return due date. The same rule applies to a right to claim tax credits such as the Earned Income Credit.

We hold income tax refunds in cases where our records show that one or more income tax returns are past due. We hold them until we get the past due return or receive an acceptable reason for not filing a past due return.

 

Protect Social Security Benefits

If you are self-employed and do not file your federal income tax return, any self-employment income you earned will not be reported to the Social Security Administration and you will not receive credits toward Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

 

Avoid Issues Obtaining Loans

Loan approvals may be delayed if you don't file your return. Copies of filed tax returns must be submitted to financial institutions, mortgage lenders/brokers, etc., whenever you want to buy or refinance a home, get a loan for a business, or apply for federal aid for higher education.

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If You Owe More Than You Can Pay

If you cannot pay what you owe, you can request an additional 60-120 days to pay your account in full through the Online Payment Agreement application or by calling 800-829-1040; no user fee will be charged. If you need more time to pay, you can request an installment agreement or you may qualify for an offer in compromise.

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