Monday, January 23, marked the official start of the 2023 tax season in the United States. The agency started accepting tax returns for 2022 years and began processing them.
With more than 168 million tax returns expected to be filed, the majority of them will be filed before the April 18 deadline. Due to the calendar, people have an additional three days to file their tax returns this year.
The IRS has taken additional steps to improve taxpayer service in 2023, following the impact of the pandemic on the previous three tax seasons. The IRS hired over 5,000 telephone assistants as part of August’s Inflation Reduction Act and increased its staff in-person to support taxpayers.
Acting IRS Commissioner Doug O’Donnell stated that this filing season will be the first to reap the benefits of multi-year funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. Taxpayers and tax professionals will notice improvements in many areas of IRS this year with these additional resources. We have trained thousands of people to help callers and answer their phones. Although there is still much to do after many difficult years, we expect improvements for tax season. We are still working on long-term transformation initiatives that will improve the tax season. We are excited to start delivering what taxpayers expect and our employees know that we can do this funding.”
The IRS had been working for months on preparations for the 2023 tax season. Individual tax return filers can start filing their taxes on Jan. 23, which gives the IRS ample time to complete annual updates and readiness work, which are crucial to ensure that IRS systems operate smoothly. This is when the IRS officially accepts tax returns. Many tax professionals and software providers are already accepting tax return; these returns were sent to the IRS Monday when the IRS began accepting tax returns.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to gather all information before filing a tax return. Filing a correct and complete tax return will help avoid delays in processing or refunds, as well as avoiding the possibility of having to file an amended return.
The IRS also encourages people review their tax situation in order to ensure they do not overlook tax credits that may be available to them, such as the Earned income Tax Credit (EITC). The IRS set aside a Jan. 27 special day to help people understand the benefits of the EITC. This credit can be a boon to low- and medium-income families and workers.
There are many free services offered by the IRS to assist people. IRS offers basic tax preparation for qualified people through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and Tax Counseling For the Elderly program. Trusted tax professionals can be accessed, as well as commercially available tax software, as well as IRS Free File which allows for free electronic filing.
For most taxpayers, Tuesday, April 18, 2023 is the deadline for filing 2022 tax returns. Washington, D.C. holidays have the same effect on tax deadlines as federal holidays. Due date is April 18 instead of April 15. This is due to the District of Columbia’s Emancipation Day holiday which falls on Monday, April 17 and the weekend.
Taxpayers who request an extension of time will have until Monday Oct. 16, 2023 to file.
The AndalusiaStar-News published the article IRS now accepting tax returns.
