Earlier this week, the IRS announced that business tax return efiling will open next week (this came out in an email). No date has been given yet for individual (personal) tax returns, but I now expect it to open the last week of this month (which is typical). UPDATE: The IRS announced this morning that Tax Season will open on Monday, January 26th.
My software company currently shows a January 26 date (their estimate):
This would be normal for the IRS, and is good news. There were a lot of changes made in tax law for 2025 (courtesy of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB)), and the IRS at one time quoted a mid-February start date. But that does not mean you can file your return on January 26th.
First, you need to wait for all of your tax documents to file. That brokerage account with $5 of dividends? Yes, your tax professional needs that 1099. That K-1 from a partnership with $2 of income that won’t be ready until June? Yes, your tax professional needs to see all pages of every K-1 package. Finally, many forms will not be ready immediately. My software company notes that they don’t expect Form 3468 (Investment Credit) and Form 172 (Net Operating Losses) to be ready until mid- March. The OBBB made many changes, and these all have to be worked through by the IRS and software companies. I also need to point out that many state forms might not be ready immediately.
So, kudos to the IRS on working through a difficult update. And hopefully this Tax Season will go smoothly for taxpayers, tax professionals, and the IRS.
