Tax Season to Start Jan. 23

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the date that tax season will officially begin.

According to the IRS, it will begin accepting tax returns on January 23, 2017.

IRS Spokesman Mark Green said that when going to file their taxes next month, people should make sure to have last year’s return with them.

Green cautioned taxpayers that there is not a way to file before January 23 and get an early refund.

“There is no such thing as getting a jump on filing your tax return and getting a refund,” said Green. “Anything prior to that, if someone tells you they can get you an early refund, you are being misled.”

He said that is likely a loan.

According to Green, your actual tax refund is then used to pay back that loan once tax returns are filed on or after January 23 and the refund is received.

The IRS does say that many software companies and tax preparers will accept tax returns before January 23 and then submit them to the IRS when the agency opens up receiving them.

Meanwhile, the IRS will also begin processing paper tax returns on January 23.

Also, Green is reminding people who file for the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit that those refunds are being held no matter what until the middle of February.

“That will be held until February 15, so in essence those taxpayers may not see their refund until the week of February 27,” said Green who cited tax fraud prevention as the reason.

More than 153 million individual tax returns are expected to be filed in 2017.

The tax deadline this year is April 18, 2017.

That is because April 15 is a Saturday and April 17 is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.

For information on filing taxes or tax help, visit www.IRS.gov.