Thanks to the pandemic and the push to get stimulus payments out quickly, the 2021 federal tax filing season will start a little late this year.
The IRS on Friday said it would begin accepting federal tax returns on February 12. Normally, tax filing season begins in the second half of January, CNN reported.
Pushing it back a few weeks allows the IRS time to do additional programming and testing of IRS systems following the December 27 tax law changes that provided a second round of Economic Impact Payments and other benefits, the agency said.
The IRS notes, however, that people working with tax software companies, including IRS Free File partners, may prepare their returns now and they will be transmitted to the IRS starting February 12.
IRS Free File – online tax preparation products available at no charge – launched today, giving taxpayers an early opportunity to claim credits like the Recovery Rebate Credit and other deductions, the Internal Revenue Service announced.
Leading tax software providers make their online products available for free as part of a 19-year partnership with the Internal Revenue Service. There are nine products in English and two in Spanish.
“As we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, IRS Free File and certain other similar online tax preparation products such as MilTax – Tax Services for the Military offered through the Department of Defense − offers taxpayers a free way to do their taxes from the safety of their own home and claim the tax credits and deductions they are due,” said Chuck Rettig, IRS Commissioner. “We encourage eligible taxpayers to take a look at using Free File, MilTax and similar free online tax preparation products this year, to follow the lead of