2023 Income Tax Filing Season starts on 1/23/23

by Barry L Weller, EA

The IRS and most states will open tax filing for your 2022 income tax returns on Monday, January 23, 2023.   The deadline for filing a return is Tuesday, April 18, 2023.  The deadline is extended because April 15th falls on a Saturday and Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington, D.C., will be observed on Monday, April 17th, thereby pushing the nation’s filing deadline to April 18th. 

If you file your tax return electronically and if you choose direct deposit of that refund, the IRS anticipates most taxpayers will receive their refunds within 21 days.  However, refunds claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit will be held until late February.  The PATH Act is a federal law that was enacted in 2015 and is still in effect for this tax season.  This law requires the IRS not release refunds for people claiming the EITC or ACTC before mid-February.  The IRS must hold the entire refund, not just a portion of the refund attributed to the credits.  Taxpayers claiming refunds with these credits should not expect their refund to be deposited into their bank accounts until February 28, 2023.  Why the delay?  The IRS needs time to screen these returns for fraud.  

The IRS does have an on-line tool where taxpayers can check on the status of their refund.  The website address for “Where’s My Refund” is https://www.irs.gov/refunds.

Barry L Weller, EA is the president of Barry Weller & Associates with offices at 19 N Reading Ave, Boyertown, PA 19512 Phone (610) 367-8280   He is an enrolled agent, licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS. (updated 1/16/2023)