IRS announces first day of 2026 filing season

FILE – A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen, May 4, 2021, in Washington. The IRS is warning taxpayers that they may be leaving more than $1 billion on the table. The federal tax collector said Monday, March 25, 2024, that roughly 940,000 people in the U.S. have until May 17 to submit tax returns for unclaimed refunds for tax year 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Monday, January 26, 2026, as the beginning of the 2026 filing season.

This year several new tax law provisions of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill became effective, which could impact federal taxes, credits, and deductions.

Taxpayers have until Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to file their 2025 tax returns and pay any tax due.

The IRS expects to receive about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, with most taxpayers filing electronically, according to officials.

“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” said Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent. “Prior to the passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which delivered working families tax cuts, Treasury and IRS were diligently preparing to update forms and processes for the benefit of hardworking Americans, and I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”

The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to establish a bank account to receive their tax refunds via direct deposit, because the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks due to an executive order.

Refund status information is generally available around 24 hours after e-filing a current-year return, or four weeks after filing a paper return, the IRS said.

The IRS Free File program will begin accepting individual tax returns starting Friday, Jan. 9 for qualified taxpayers.

Taxpayers who prepare their own taxes can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms starting Jan. 26, regardless of income.

For more information on the 2026 tax season, and new updates for the season, go to IRS.gov.