--- title: Tax Season Starts Today. Here's What to Know — and How to Get Your Refund ASAP description: The IRS has officially started accepting income tax returns for the 2024 tax year, which covers Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of last year. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 602 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: A graduate of the University of Florida, Julia has more than eight years of experience in personal finance journalism. In addition to overseeing news and newsletters, she leads Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, policy changes and the IRS. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2025-01-27T15:21:14.000Z' modified: '2025-01-27T15:21:14.000Z' section: Taxes tags: - News word_count: 728 canonical: https://money.com/tax-season-2025-start-date-irs/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo collage of a woman looking over sheets of paper while using her laptop, with a 1040 tax form in the background](https://img.money.com/2025/01/News-2024-Tax-Season-Begins.jpg) Football season may be ending, but tax season is just kicking off: The IRS officially started accepting income tax returns on Monday. The beginning of the 2025 tax season opens a 78-day window for over 140 million taxpayers to file individual tax returns for the 2024 tax year, which covers income earned from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of last year. In a [news release](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-jan-27-start-to-2025-tax-filing-season-agency-continues-historic-improvements-to-expand-enhance-tools-and-filing-options-to-help-taxpayers), the IRS touted that this filing season "will feature expanded and enhanced tools to help taxpayers as a result of the agency’s historic modernization efforts." Those include text and virtual assistants that can offer tax help as well as new options for completing tax forms on mobile phones and totally free filing options. But whether you're doing your taxes online or IRL with a tax professional, the agency says to be on the lookout for dangerous tax scams. Taxpayers are often targeted by phishing attempts this time of year, using text messages and emails that claim to be from the IRS. These messages are *always* fake: The IRS will never reach out to taxpayers via phone, text or email. ## Have you started filing your 2025 Taxes? ### Select your state to begin the process of filing your taxes with TurboTax. [File Your Taxes](https://money.com/pr/y79513bd069d?ap_referrer=%2Ftax-season-2025-start-date-irs%2F) ## How to prepare to file taxes Even if you don't intend to submit your tax return anytime soon, now is a good time to start compiling the documents you're going to need. Keep an eye out for your W-2 in particular; employers are supposed to send those forms out by Friday (Jan. 31). Don't want to wait? No problem: The [IRS Free File program](https://money.com/how-to-file-taxes-for-free/) is already open. Through a partnership with eight tax preparation companies, tons of taxpayers qualify to do their taxes online at no cost. However, your adjusted gross income for 2024 must be $84,000 or less to be eligible for IRS Free File. Alternatively, an estimated 32 million taxpayers in 25 states can use [Direct File](https://money.com/how-to-access-irs-direct-file/), the agency's own free guided tax-filing tool. Last year, residents of only 12 states were able to use a pilot version of the program, but it has since drastically expanded. Direct File is also available now. Before you file taxes, you may need to do some math to see if it makes sense to itemize your taxes. For the 2024 tax year, most taxpayers will take the [standard deduction](https://money.com/new-tax-brackets-2025/) of $14,600 for single filers, $21,900 for heads of households and $29,200 for married couples filing jointly. But individuals with allowable deductions exceeding those amounts should usually itemize their taxes. It's a longer process, but you may get a larger refund or reduce your tax bill. Tax preparation tools like [TurboTax](https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/taxcaster/) also have calculators that can give you early estimates of how much you may owe — or what you can expect to get back in a [tax refund](https://money.com/wheres-my-refund/). ## Improve your potential refund amount - Prepare and file your federal income tax return using tax preparation software ### Tax Preparation Software companies like TurboTax will help improve your earning potential. [File Your Taxes](https://money.com/pr/u802e6eceeea?ap_referrer=%2Ftax-season-2025-start-date-irs%2F) ## When are taxes due in 2025? In 2025, Tax Day is April 15. You should file your taxes in advance of the midnight deadline unless you file for an automatic extension using [Form 4868](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf). However, keep in mind that while an extension delays your *filing* deadline to Oct. 15, it does not extend the time you have to pay any taxes owed to the IRS. Some taxpayers who live in federally declared disaster areas will have additional time to file. This includes individuals and businesses in Los Angeles County, where [wildfires](https://money.com/help-california-wildfire-victims-avoid-scams/) recently caused widespread damage, and areas affected by the major hurricanes of 2024. You can check if you have a later filing deadline on the [IRS website](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/around-the-nation). ## When will I get my tax refund? The IRS says most refunds are issued within 21 days, but it can take more time if you file on paper. In each of the past two years, over 100 million tax refunds were issued at an average amount of over $3,000. While many taxpayers will receive a nice check again this year, the IRS advises against counting on a refund by a certain date to pay bills as delays are possible. Electronically filing your taxes and selecting direct deposit as the delivery method will help you receive your money faster. To track the status of your refund, you can use the [Where's My Refund? tool](https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund). You'll just need to plug in your Social Security or taxpayer ID number, filing status and refund amount. ## Setting aside your tax refund can yield great benefits ### A High-Yield Savings Account from SoFi can put you at ease by securing your future. Click below to open an account today. [Open an Account Today](https://money.com/pr/xbf81897a947?ap_referrer=%2Ftax-season-2025-start-date-irs%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22890/medium_6750407e-e1f3-4918-bc84-c8e0975be7a2.png) Let TurboTax handle your taxes this year [File Today](https://money.com/pr/j74aafbcc143?ap_referrer=%2Ftax-season-2025-start-date-irs%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/tax-season-2025-start-date-irs/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Taxes", "item": "https://money.com/taxes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/tag/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Tax Season Starts Today. 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