IRS will start accepting 2023 tax returns on January 29

NEW YORK -- If you like to file your taxes early, the IRS said on Monday it will begin accepting and processing 2023 federal income tax returns starting on Monday, January 29.

If you're not an early bird, be sure to file your return and pay any remaining taxes owed by the filing deadline of Monday, April 15.

Some tax filers, however, will have a later deadline. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts, for instance, will have until April 17 to submit their returns due to those states' observation of the Patriots' Day and Emancipation Day holidays.

And anyone living or doing business in a federally declared disaster area may have a later date. For instance, if you were affected by the storms and tornadoes that started on December 9 in parts of Tennessee, you will have until June 17, 2024 to file and pay what you owe. Here is the list of federally declared disaster areas and information on what forms of tax relief are available.

If you can't file by mid-April, make sure to apply for an automatic six-month filing extension by April 15 so you can avoid being charged a late-filing penalty.

And remember that regardless of when you file, if you still owe money to the IRS for tax year 2023, that amount is due by your April filing deadline. If you don't send in payment by the general filing deadline, you may face a late payment penalty - with interest.

What about refunds?

The good news is that the majority of tax filers typically get a refund. And the IRS usually issues them within 21 days of accepting your return. The agency notes, however, that if you are claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit, the IRS cannot by law issue the EITC-related refund before mid-February and estimates that those funds will be available for filers starting February 27.

Last year, from the more than 160 million returns filed, the IRS issued nearly 105 million refunds. The average refund was $3,054, according to IRS filing statistics.

To find out how quickly you are likely to get your refund once you have submitted your return, you can use the agency's Where's My Refund tool.

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