Honestly, nobody actually likes thinking about the IRS in January. You're probably still recovering from holiday spending and trying to remember where you put that random 1099-NEC from a freelance gig you did last March. But every year, like clockwork, the same question hits the group chat: when do tax season start?
The short answer? It usually kicks off in late January. For 2026, the IRS is expected to begin accepting and processing individual tax returns around January 26th or 27th. They haven't officially dropped the exact "Opening Day" press release yet, but they almost always stick to that final Monday of January. If you try to e-file through TurboTax or H&R Block before then, your return just sits in a digital "holding room" until the IRS flips the switch.
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Don't let that date fool you into thinking you have a ton of time.
Why the Official Start Date is Kinda a Lie
The IRS "opening" is just when their computers start grinding. For you, the season starts the second your employers and banks are legally required to send your paperwork. By law, businesses have until January 31st to mail out W-2s and 1099s. If you’re waiting for those, you aren't really in the game until early February.
But here is the kicker.
If you’re a freelancer or an investor, you might be waiting on Schedule K-1s, which sometimes don’t arrive until March. This creates a weird two-tier system. You have the "Early Bird" crowd—people with one job and no complex assets—who file in late January to get their refund fast. Then you have the "April 15th Procrastinators" who are genuinely stuck waiting on slow-moving corporate paperwork.
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The Refund Math No One Tells You
Everyone wants their money back yesterday. I get it. If you’re claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), the IRS is legally barred by the PATH Act from issuing your refund before mid-February. It doesn’t matter if you filed the very second the season started. They hold those funds to double-check for fraud, which is frustrating but keeps your identity a bit safer.
Expect those specific refunds to hit bank accounts around the first week of March.
For everyone else, the "21-day rule" is the gold standard. If you e-file and choose direct deposit, you usually see the cash in three weeks. Paper filing? Forget about it. You’re looking at months. Literally months. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has been pushing for better tech, but the paper backlog is still a beast that refuses to die.
What Actually Changes for the 2025/2026 Filing Year
Inflation is a pain for your grocery bill, but it actually helps your taxes. For the 2025 tax year (the ones you file in early 2026), the IRS bumped up the standard deduction.
For single filers, it’s now $15,000.
Married filing jointly? You’re looking at $30,000.
This means a larger chunk of your income is shielded from taxes entirely. It also means that even fewer people will find it worth their time to "itemize" their deductions. Unless your mortgage interest, state taxes, and charitable gifts add up to more than $15,000, just take the standard and run. It’s cleaner. It’s faster.
The Side Hustle Headache
There has been a lot of back-and-forth about the $600 threshold for 1099-K forms (think Venmo, PayPal, and Etsy). For a while, the IRS kept delaying the rule that would force these apps to send you a form for anything over $600. For the current cycle, they are using a "transition" threshold of $5,000.
Basically, if you sold a used couch for $800 on Facebook Marketplace, you probably won't get a form. But if you’re running a legit side business, keep your receipts. Just because you didn't get a form doesn't mean the income isn't taxable. The IRS is getting much better at "data matching," which is a fancy way of saying their AI is sniffing out unreported digital payments.
Common Myths About "Opening Day"
Myth 1: Filing early increases your audit risk. Actually, it’s the opposite. Filing early protects you from identity theft. If a scammer tries to file a fake return using your Social Security number in March, but you already filed in January, the IRS system will kick theirs out immediately.
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Myth 2: You need a professional to file in January. If your income is below $79,000, use IRS Free File. It’s a partnership between the government and big software companies. It’s free. Truly free. Don't let the big-name sites upsell you on "Deluxe" packages for a simple W-2 return.
Myth 3: The IRS will call you if there’s a problem. No. They won't. They won't DM you on Instagram or text you either. They use the U.S. Postal Service. If you get a "tax" phone call in January, hang up.
Strategies for a Painless Season
If you want to be done with this by February 1st, start a "Tax Folder" on your desktop right now. Every time an email comes in with the word "Tax" or "1099" or "W-2," drag it in there.
Check your last pay stub of the year. Does the "Year to Date" withholding look right? If you owed a massive amount last year, you might want to adjust your W-4 for the upcoming year so you don't get hit twice. Taxes are a "pay-as-you-go" system in the U.S., and the IRS gets cranky if you wait until April to pay the whole bill.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your IRS Online Account. Log in to the official IRS.gov portal to ensure your address is correct and to see if you have any outstanding balances from previous years.
- Gather the "Big Three". You need your W-2s, 1099s, and your social security numbers for all dependents. Don't guess on the SSNs; a one-digit typo can delay your refund by months.
- Decide on your software. If you’re DIYing, compare the Free File options versus Direct File (the IRS’s own new filing system which is expanding to more states this year).
- Book your CPA now. If you have a complex situation—crypto trades, rental properties, or a small business—don't call an accountant in March. Their calendars are usually full by mid-February.
- Set up Direct Deposit. It is the single fastest way to get paid. If you ask for a paper check, you are essentially volunteering to wait an extra four to six weeks.
When do tax season start? Technically in January. Mentally? It starts the moment you decide to get organized. Do the legwork now, and you can spend your April at the park instead of hunched over a calculator.