Tax filing season officially opened on Jan. 27. The Internal Revenue Service will now accept tax returns for the 2024 tax year.
This year you need to file your taxes or ask for an extension by the April 15 deadline.
A new year brings new changes to the system, including an expansion of the Direct File program. Now taxpayers can file directly with the IRS in 25 states.
The pilot launched last year in 12 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Wyoming. Now taxpayers in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin can use the system, the IRS said.
About 30 million people may be eligible to use the Direct File system, Kiplinger reported.
Some people can file for free through the IRS Free File program, available on IRS.gov. It has guided software that allows users to file for free using IRS-trusted tax filing partners.
To use IRS Free File you must make an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less, Kiplinger reported. The partner companies may also have their own qualifications to file for free, CNN reported.
While this year’s deadline is April 15, there are some instances that can allow you to file after that date.
If you live in federally declared disaster areas. Not only could you qualify for a filing extension you may also qualify for an extension for paying the tax bill. The specific areas that may have an extension can be found on the IRS’s website.
If you are not covered by the disaster extension, then you can still apply for a regular extension. You have to do so by April 15 and still pay what you owe by then. The extension is only for filing, CNN reported.
Once you file, CNN reported that it typically takes about 21 days to get a refund if you get one. You can track it by using the “Where’s My Refund” tool on the IRS website.
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