The Internal Revenue Service announced last week that tax season will begin on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. That is the day the IRS will begin accepting individual electronic returns and processing paper returns. The last day to file 2015 tax returns is Monday, April 18, 2016, rather than the traditional April 15th date. Washington, D.C. observes Emancipation Day on Friday, April 15, 2016, which pushes the filing deadline to the following Monday.
The IRS urges all taxpayers to make sure to have all year-end statements in hand, including Form W-2 from employers and Form 1009 from banks and other payers, before filing. Additionally, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen “…encourage[s] taxpayers to take full advantage of the expanding array of tools and information on IRS.gov to make their tax preparation easier.”
Choosing e-file and direct deposit for refunds remains the fastest and safest way to file an accurate income tax return and receive a refund. The IRS anticipates issuing more than nine out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.
For more information and tax filing tips from the IRS, click here.