IRS Announces The Official Start Date Of The 2024 Tax Season

The IRS announced that it will begin accepting and processing 2023 tax returns on January 29, 2024. The tax agency said it is expecting over 128.7 million individual tax returns to be filed ahead of the April 15 deadline.

This year, the IRS is rolling out new and expanded tools to make filing taxes easier and more efficient for taxpayers. To give some taxpayers a headstart on putting together their returns, the IRS Free File, which is available to anybody who earns less than $79,000, will be available starting on Friday (January 12).

In addition, the agency is rolling out the IRS Direct File pilot in phases. It expects the program, which will allow certain taxpayers the ability to file their returns online directly with the IRS, to be available to most people by mid-March.

The IRS is also opening or reopening Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country to provide in-person services to those who need help with their taxes.

The agency is also making improvements to the "Where's My Refund?" tool that will provide more detailed information about the status of your tax return.

"As our transformation efforts take hold, taxpayers will continue to see marked improvement in IRS operations in the upcoming filing season," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. "IRS employees are working hard to make sure that new funding is used to help taxpayers by making the process of preparing and filing taxes easier."