Tax season begins: New IRS tools aim to simplify filing
Tax season has officially begun, and the IRS started accepting returns on Monday.
Fox – 32 Chicago
Tax filing season is here. The Internal Revenue Service is now accepting and processing federal tax returns. Taxpayers have until Tax Day, April 15, to submit returns for tax year 2024. The IRS expects over 140 million individual tax returns to be filed ahead of the federal deadline.
Many taxpayers may qualify for a tax refund, where you can get money back if you paid more throughout the year than you owe in tax.
Here’s when you can expect a refund.
Where is my 2025 refund? How to check tax refund status
Taxes filed online should receive a refund in about a month or less from the filing date, according to the IRS. The agency says that to process your refund, it usually takes up to 21 days for an e-filed return, or longer for amended returns and returns sent by mail.
If you filed your return online, the IRS notes that you can typically check your refund status the next day using the Where’s My Refund tool, which provides a personalized refund date. According to the IRS, you can start checking the status within 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, 3–4 days after e-filing a prior-year return, and 4 weeks after filing a paper return.
The refund tracker displays three status types: Return received, refund approved, and refund sent.
How soon can I start filing taxes?
The 2025 tax filing season started Jan. 27, and the IRS is accepting tax returns up until the deadline.
When is the deadline to file taxes? What if I need an extension?
The deadline to file is April 15, 2025. You request an extension by the April tax filing due date if you need more time, and this gives you until October 15 to file without any penalties.
For state taxes, the deadline in Ohio is also April 15, with an extension filing deadline of October 15, 2025.
IRS Direct File free filing not available in Ohio; Elon Musk did not ‘delete’ service
The IRS Direct File service allows taxpayers to prepare and file their tax return online for free in 25 states, but Ohio is not one of the participating states.
Despite confusion that Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk “deleted” the group 18F that helps oversee the free filing service, the program is still available in certain states, TIME reports.
