TAX season officially opened Jan. 24, but early birds will have to wait for refunds until March, as the Internal Revenue Service is barred from issuing payments before Feb. 15.
“It is our intent that filing is as smooth and easy as possible. We want to make certain that consumers are getting all the credits and refunds they are eligible to receive,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, at a Jan. 28 briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services.
Rettig strongly recommended filing electronically, and using direct deposit so that funds are deposited directly to a bank account. Paper returns have the greatest number of delays, he said. Refunds are usually issued 21 days after the tax return has been processed, but not before Feb. 15.
Tax returns and payments are due by April 18, and the IRS is not considering extensions this year, as it did for the past two years during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For those hoping to avoid costly online tax filing portals, the IRS recommends using the free file program at: https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free. The service is available to those with Adjusted Gross Incomes of under $73,000.
For those lacking broadband access, the IRS offers another service: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, also known as VITA. The service is available to those who earn less than $58,000 annually, seniors or people with disabilities, and people with limited English…
