IRS to Start Accepting Tax Returns on Jan. 26 for 2025 Tax Season

Several new tax law provisions could impact federal taxes, credits, and deductions.

The top of a 1040 form for an individual income tax return is seen at the Des Plaines Public Library in Des Plaines, Ill., on March 23, 2006. Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Americans eager to file their tax returns this year can start as soon as Jan. 26, when the IRS kicks off the 2026 filing season.

Several new tax law provisions in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act could impact federal taxes, credits, and deductions that may reduce tax bills and increase refunds, according to the IRS.

“The Internal Revenue Service is ready to help taxpayers meet their tax filing and payment obligations during the 2026 filing season,” IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said in a statement.

IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate new tax laws and are ready to process taxpayer returns this year, Bisignano added.

Taxpayers have until midnight April 15 to file their 2025 tax returns, pay any taxes due, or file an extension.

The IRS expects to get about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, with most taxpayers filing electronically, the agency reported.

“President [Donald] 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 American, and I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike,” he added.

New this year is the chance for parents, guardians, and others to establish new individual retirement accounts for their children, called “Trump Accounts.” The program begins July 4. Every child under 18 with a Social Security number can get access to a savings and investment account starting on that day.

Under the accounts, the government will provide $1,000 in seed funding for children born within a four-year period after Jan. 1, 2025. Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell have also added $250 each for another 25 million children born before the cut-off period who meet certain guidelines.

Another change this year: To be eligible to claim certain credits for other dependents for the 2025 tax year, the taxpayer and their spouse, if filing jointly, must have valid Social Security numbers or individual taxpayer identification numbers issued on or before the due date of their returns, including extensions.

Trump said in December that Americans are likely to see increased income tax refunds this year.

The Internal Revenue Service in Washington on Jan. 6, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

“Next year is projected to be the largest tax refund season ever, and we’re going to give our refunds out of the tariffs,” Trump said at a White House press briefing.

A group of Democratic lawmakers, however, are concerned the IRS is not prepared for the upcoming tax season after losing 25 percent of its workforce and experiencing a turnover in leadership.

“Taxpayers deserve to have the information and assistance they need to file their taxes and receive their refunds in a timely manner,” the lawmakers told Bessent in a Dec. 21 letter.

The group that included Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called the IRS “woefully unprepared.”