The IRS announced that it will officially begin accepting 2023 tax returns on Monday, January 29.
But although official processing won’t begin until that date, the agency said filers shouldn’t wait to start working on their returns. Most companies that offer tax filing services have already made the 2023 tax year forms available and will simply hold them until the IRS is ready to begin processing.
Free IRS filing for taxpayers with annual income of $79,000 or less will also be available on IRS.gov starting Jan. 12, the agency said. However, the new beta version of IRS Direct File, which It will allow eligible taxpayers to file their taxes online for free directly with the IRS, and it won’t be fully rolled out until mid-March.
“As our transformation efforts take hold, taxpayers will continue to see significant improvement in IRS operations in the upcoming filing season,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “IRS staff are working hard to make sure the new funding is used to help taxpayers by making the tax preparation and filing process easier.”
Among the improvements the agency is promoting are expanding in-person services through Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs); Increased assistance available on the toll-free hotline, and an expanded customer callback feature designed to significantly reduce wait times.
The agency said it expects more than 128.7 million individual tax returns to be filed by the April 15 tax deadline of this year.