Tax season 2025 begins: Here are the important dates to know this year
(NewsNation) — The 2025 tax season officially starts Monday, and there are important deadlines you need to know.
Here are the key dates for the 2025 tax filing season.
When does the 2025 tax season start?
Tax season officially begins Monday, Jan. 27.
That's when the IRS starts accepting and processing 2024 federal tax returns.
It's a good idea to start getting your paperwork in order. The IRS requires employers to send out W-2 forms no later than Jan. 31, so keep an eye on your mailbox.
1099 forms, which report payments that typically don't come from an employer, are also common. Most get mailed by the end of January.
New for 2025: Taxpayers who received more than $5,000 in payments for goods and services through an online marketplace or payment app in 2024 should expect to receive a Form 1099-K in January.
When is Tax Day 2025?
The federal tax filing deadline, Tax Day, is Tuesday, April 15.
In fact, Tax Day is always on April 15 unless it falls on a weekend or holiday.
Your return is considered on time if your envelope is properly addressed, postmarked, and deposited in the mail by the due date.
Or you can file electronically, which will help you get your refund faster. If you go that route, the date and time in your time zone when your return is transmitted controls whether your return is filed on time.
It's important to file by the deadline because there are financial consequences if you don't. The standard failure to file penalty is 5% of the unpaid taxes for every month that a tax return is late up to 25% of the unpaid balance. The IRS also charges interest on penalties.
You can learn more about late-filing penalties here.
For individual tax return filers, April 15 is also the last day to make contributions to your individual retirement account (IRA) or health savings account (HSA) for 2024.
What is the deadline to file an extension?
If you need more time to file your taxes, you can request an extension, but you need to do so by April 15. That will give you an extra six months, until October 15, to file without penalties.
Remember: You must pay any taxes you owe by the April deadline. The extension is only for filing your return.
Filing an extension is free, and there are a few ways to do it, according to the IRS:
- Pay online and check the box: Pay what you owe using an online payment option and check the box that you are paying as part of filing for an extension. You don’t have to file a separate extension form, and you'll get a confirmation number for your records.
- Use Free File: Use IRS Free File to electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension.
- Request an extension by mail: File Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You can file by mail, online with an IRS e-filing partner or through a tax professional.
In certain natural disaster situations, the IRS automatically extends the tax deadline. For example, those affected by the Los Angeles-area wildfires now have until Oct. 15, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
When will I receive my tax refund?
The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days for taxpayers who file electronically and choose direct deposit. Paper returns take longer.
Getting your tax refund sent directly to your account is simple. Just make sure you select direct deposit as your refund method and type in the account number and routing number.
Taxpayers can check the status of their federal refund using the Where's My Refund? tool on the IRS website. You can learn about tracking your state tax refund by contacting your state's taxation department.
According to the latest IRS data, the average federal tax refund in 2024 was $3,138.