Insights

IRS to Commence Accepting 2021 Tax Returns Starting January 24

In News Release IR-2022-08, the IRS stated that it will begin accepting and processing 2021 tax returns starting January 24th.  This date will allow it time to perform necessary programming and testing in advance of return filing, which it urged taxpayers and paid preparers to do electronically.

The Service is still processing some tax year 2020 returns. All paper and e-filed returns with refunds owed that were received before April 2021 have been processed if they did not contain any errors or require further review; however, as of December 23, 2021, there were still some 6 million unprocessed individual returns. And the Service has struggled to answer a record number of taxpayer and preparer phone calls.

The IRS Free File program, which allows taxpayers with an income of $73,000 or less in 2021 to self-prepare and e-file their federal return using commercial tax preparation software for no charge, will open on January 14.

Returns and payments for most individuals will be due April 18, 2022, because of a weekend and Emancipation Day, a Washington, D.C., holiday. However, taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts must file their returns and pay tax by April 19 due to the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states. The extended due date for individual returns is October 17.

The information presented here should not be construed as legal, tax, accounting, or valuation advice. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice and after a thorough examination of the particular situation.