The wait is over for tax professionals eager to learn when the 2023 filing season will begin. Today, the Internal Revenue Service revealed they will start accepting and processing individual returns on January 23, 2023. The federal tax agency reassures that the service it provides this year will be improved by the recent hiring of more than 5,000 telephone and in-person staff.
This announcement caps off several busy weeks for the federal tax agency, which have included the publication of guidance related to clean vehicles, the completion of automatic corrections for the 2020 unemployment compensation exclusion, and the extension of deadlines for California storm victims.
When is Tax Day 2023?
The deadline for filing an individual return, requesting an extension, and paying tax owed is April 18, 2023 due to the Emancipation Day holiday.
How long will it take the IRS to issue tax refunds?
The IRS predicts that tax refunds generally will be issued within 21 days if the following criteria are met:
- The return is filed electronically
- The taxpayer chooses direct deposit
- The return has no issues
However, a provision in the PATH Act prevents the IRS from issuing refunds for any return claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit until February 15. This delay is designed to provide the agency with additional time to combat fraudulent tax returns.
Do I have to wait until January 23 to transmit client returns to the IRS?
Tax professionals using Drake Tax® do not have to wait until January 23 to submit completed individual client returns. Drake Software places returns received before the start of filing season in a queue and automatically transmits them to the IRS when the agency begins processing.
Source: IR-2023-05