January 22nd has come and gone without incident. It was supposed to be opening day for tax season at the Internal Revenue Service. But with a last-minute tax deal, the IRS has pushed off opening day until January 30.
Today, the IRS confirmed that opening day for tax season at the agency is still slated to be January 30. They have, according to their Special Edition Tax Tip 2013-02, finally updated their 2012 tax forms and completed programming and testing of processing systems.
The IRS has also confirmed that once officially open for business, they do not expect any further delay in processing refunds. Most refunds will be processed and in taxpayers’ hands in less than 21 days; some returns will be processed faster and others will be slowed because of a need for additional review. For the fastest service, the IRS recommends filing electronically and using direct deposit.
Once you’ve filed your return, you can track the status of your refund with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool available on the IRS.gov website. When you use the tool, you’ll need your social security number, filing status, and the exact dollar amount of your refund. Information about your refund will generally be available within 24 hours after the IRS receives your e-filed return or four weeks after mailing a paper return. This year, IRS is promising taxpayers an “actual personalized refund date” instead of an estimated date. The IRS will update the site every 24 hours, usually overnight – there’s no need to check more than once a day (or twice or three times… I know how it is).
Keep checking back throughout the season for more tax information. I’ll be making updates as news is made available.
