IRS tax season begins; how long before you get a refund?

The Internal Revenue Service has started accepting and processing 2023 tax returns.

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According to the agency, it expects more than 128.7 million taxpayers to submit tax returns by April 15.

In a news release, the agency said taxpayers who have all of the information they need to file a return do not have to wait to work on their taxes. Most online tax return software companies allow taxpayers to complete their returns in advance and will accept the return submission when it is complete and hold it until the IRS begins processing.

IRS Free File is available on IRS.gov. Participating tax return software companies started accepting completed tax returns and held them until they could be filed electronically with the IRS. IRS Free File Guided Tax Software, available only at IRS.gov, is available to any taxpayer or family with Adjusted Gross Income of $79,000 or less in 2023.

A new feature that will be rolled out this year is called Direct File. The program gives eligible taxpayers a new choice to file their 2023 federal tax returns online, for free, directly with the IRS.

According to the agency, it will be rolled out in phases and is expected to be widely available in mid-March.

For most taxpayers, the deadline to file taxes is Monday, April 15, 2024. Taxpayers living in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, 2024, due to the Patriot’s Day and Emancipation Day holidays, according to the IRS. If a taxpayer resides in a federally declared disaster area, they also may have additional time to file.

Once you file, the agency says, you should see your refund within 21 days. You can check a refund’s status by using Where’s My Refund? on IRS.gov or the IRS2Go app.

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