IRS Income Tax Filing Season 2022 is Here

The IRS has announced that the filing season for federal individual income tax returns for 2021 kicks off on January 24 (IR-2022-08, 1/10/22). The IRS already started accepting e-filed business returns on January 7.

With updated programming, eligible taxpayers can claim the proper amount of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) after comparing their 2021 advance credits and claim any remaining Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) as a Recovery Rebate Credit when they file their 2021 tax return.

“Planning for the nation’s filing season process is a massive undertaking, and IRS teams have been working non-stop these past several months to prepare,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a press release. “The pandemic continues to create challenges, but the IRS reminds people there are important steps they can take to help ensure their tax return and refund don’t face processing delays. Filing electronically with direct deposit and avoiding a paper tax return is more important than ever this year. And we urge extra attention to those who received an Economic Impact Payment or an advance Child Tax Credit last year. People should make sure they report the correct amount on their tax return to avoid delays.”

The IRS encourages taxpayers to have all the information they need in hand to make sure they file a complete and accurate return. Having an accurate tax return can avoid processing delays, refund delays and subsequent IRS notices. This is especially important for people who received advance CTC payments or EIPs in 2021. They’ll need the amounts of these payments when their tax returns are prepared. The IRS is mailing special letters to recipients and they can also check amounts received on www.irs.gov.

Of course, some taxpayers won’t have all the information they need to file their returns on or near the start date of January 24. For instance, they may not have received all of their Forms 1099 for the 2021 tax year. Generally, businesses don’t have to send out 109s until January 31.

As with the 2020 tax year, some individuals should file 2021 tax returns even though they aren’t required to do so to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit or to reconcile advance CTC payments. Others who normally don’t have to file could be eligible for various other credits.

Rettig also noted that IRS employees continue to work hard on critical areas affected by the pandemic, including processing of tax returns from last year and record levels of phone calls coming in. As of December 3, 2021, the IRS has processed nearly 169 million tax returns. All paper and electronic individual 2020 refund returns received prior to April 2021 have been processed if the return had no errors or didn’t require further review.

Taxpayers generally will not need to wait for their 2020 return to be fully processed to file their 2021 tax returns and can file when they are ready

As of this writing, the due date for filing 2021 federal income tax returns, or filing for an extension, remains Monday, April 18, 2022, for most taxpayers. This deadline was pushed back from Friday, April 15, 2022, due to the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia.

Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until Tuesday, April 19, 2022, to file their returns because of the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states. Taxpayers requesting an extension have until Monday, October 17, 2022 to file.

We will keep you posted on any tax filing changes relating to the pandemic or other events.