Additionally, we assist clients in understanding how to extend tax filing deadlines and avoid penalties if necessary. Tax Day, the annual day when individual income tax returns are due to the federal government, is April 15. By staying organized and keeping track of the important dates for the 2025 tax filing season, you can avoid penalties, reduce stress, and ensure you get your refund as quickly as possible. But, taxpayers must still pay any taxes owed by the April 15 deadline as the extension only applies to filing a tax return.
IRS cuts may mean refund delays and long waits. File early before potential cuts, CPAs say
- 180 days (six months) to pay taxes of less than $10,000 in monthly installments.
- Instead, Series I bonds are available in electronic format in TreasuryDirect.
- Whether a taxpayer uses an online tool or calls the IRS, they will experience upgraded help features.
- Tax preparation service Jackson Hewitt says you can start preparing to file your 2024 taxes “as soon as you’re ready!
- The IRS announced the official start date of tax season as Jan. 27, 2025.
- For example, if you plan to claim the mortgage interest deduction, you’ll need to wait for your Form 1098.
Whether you are filing taxes for the first time or are a seasoned taxpayer, understanding the tax filing process is essential to avoid penalties, ensure compliance, and get the biggest refund. This guide will walk you through the tax filing start date, deadlines, and explain how you can streamline the process with professional assistance. Let a tax advisor from Harness help compile and file tax forms for your household, all while maximizing your state and federal tax returns. Tax professionals how early can you file taxes 2025 on the Harness platform specialize in working with startup employees, business owners, investors, and other professionals with complex tax situations.
Refunds
Most professional tax filing services also provide tracking assistance to keep clients informed about their return status and any potential issues. Some tax preparation companies, such as Intuit’s TurboTax, will let you submit your federal tax return now. The IRS also has several free options for filing taxes, like the Free File and Direct File programs. A smaller penalty of 0.5% is added if you file a return but fail to pay any taxes you owe, or if you get an extension on your return but fail to pay your owed taxes. The IRS usually grants an additional six months to file returns by October 15, 2025. However, extensions do not allow taxpayers extra time to pay taxes, only to file returns.
During filing season 2025, the IRS will offer voicebot services to all taxpayers calling the IRS for refund information. The voicebot is available in English and Spanish and has helped thousands of callers without the need to wait for the next available representative. Taxpayers will have to authenticate their identity to gain access to their refund information by providing select information from their tax return. This is a Department of Defense program available to members of the military and some veterans with no income limit.
The IRS is urging Americans to seek out trusted professionals with help filing their federal taxes to avoid potential scams. Taxpayers can also use the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications to find trusted professionals. The IRS also reminds taxpayers that choosing someone affiliated with a recognized national tax association is always a good option. Tax professionals accepted into the IRS electronic filing program are authorized IRS e-file providers, qualified to prepare, transmit and process electronically filed tax returns.
When is the deadline to file taxes?
If you need more time to file, you can request an extension by filing Form 4868 by April 15, 2025. This will give you until October 15, 2025, to submit your final tax return. However, keep in mind that an extension to file is not an extension to pay. If you owe taxes, you’ll need to pay by April 15 to avoid interest or penalties.
According to the agency, most tax software and many tax pros will hold onto a completed return and submit it to the IRS when tax season begins. The last day to timely file your taxes in 2025 will be April 15. The tax deadline stays the same year-to-year unless it falls on a weekend, in which case it’s pushed to the following business day. There are certain exceptions, such as in 2020 and 2021, when the tax deadline was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. States set their own tax deadlines, which may or may not mirror the federal dates. Your state tax department’s website is often the best resource for up-to-date filing information.
Now in its 23rd year, Free File offers free tax preparation software from eight companies in the public-private partnership between the IRS and Free File Inc. As part of this partnership, tax preparation and filing software partners offer their online products to eligible taxpayers for free. To access these free tools, taxpayers must start from the IRS Free File page on IRS.gov. The IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the Tuesday, April 15 federal deadline. More than half of all tax returns are expected to be filed this year with the help of a tax professional, and the IRS urges people to use a trusted tax pro to avoid potential scams and schemes.
How Early Can You File Taxes? Dates and Deadlines for the 2025 Tax Season
- Missing deadlines can lead to penalties, interest, or delayed refunds, so being fully prepared is essential.
- For more tax tips, see how much income brackets and the standard deduction are changing in 2025.
- Remember, an extension of time to file is not an extension to pay taxes you owe.
- DebtStoppers offers expert tax filing services tailored to individuals and businesses.
- Moreover, members of the armed forces deployed overseas or in active combat situations might be eligible for an extended filing period as well.
- Almost every paycheck you earn and every dollar you make is considered taxable income, meaning a percentage of that income is deducted and paid to governments per state and federal mandate.
Tax preparation service Jackson Hewitt says you can start preparing to file your 2024 taxes “as soon as you’re ready! The Indiana Department of Revenue recommends waiting a minimum of three weeks before checking the status of your electronically filed tax refund and 12 weeks for paper-filed returns. Tool, which is updated each night, is the simplest way to track your refund within 24 hours of e-filing.
What you can no longer do with your refund
For most people, the last chance to file will be Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at midnight local time. Those impacted by the California wildfires for example, have until Oct. 15, 2025, to file their returns and pay any tax liability. Tax season has officially begun, as the IRS is now accepting 2024 federal tax returns as of today, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. If you fail to file or pay your federal tax return on time, the standard penalty is a whopping 5% of any tax due for every month the return is late, up to 25% of the unpaid balance. Be aware of scammers, who can become more active during tax season. They will attempt to mislead people about tax refunds, credits and payments.
State tax authority deadlines often align with the federal April 15 deadline, but each state has its own filing requirements. Be sure to check your state’s specific tax deadlines if you live in a state that requires state income tax filing. Additionally, January 15, 2025, is the tax deadline for estimated tax payments for the fourth quarter of 2024.