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IRS Opens 2014 Income Tax Season Jan. 31
WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service plans to open the 2014 filing season Jan. 31. Taxpayers are encouraged to use e-file or Free File as the fastest way to obtain refunds.
The new opening date for individuals to file their tax returns for 2013 is intended to allow the IRS sufficient time to program and test its tax processing systems, said Danny Werfel, acting commissioner. The annual process for updating IRS systems saw significant delays in October following the 16-day shutdown of the federal government.
“Our teams have been working hard throughout the fall to prepare for the upcoming tax season,” Werfel said in a prepared statement. “The late January opening gives us enough time to get things right with our programming, testing and systems validation. It’s a complex process, and our bottom-line goal is to provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation’s taxpayers.”
The government shutdown forced the IRS to push back the original opening date, Jan. 21. The new date is one day later than this year’s filing season opening, Jan. 30, following tax law changes Congress made Jan. 1 in the American Taxpayer Relief Act. The extensive set of tax changes affected many 2012 tax returns, which led to the late January opening.
Several options are available to help taxpayers prepare for the 2014 tax season and get their refunds as easily as possible, Werfel said. New year-end tax planning information was added to IRS.gov this week. In addition, many software companies are expected to begin accepting tax returns in January and hold them until the IRS systems open Jan. 31.
The IRS will provide more details next month. It will not process any tax returns before Jan. 31, so there is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date. Taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file or Free File with the direct deposit option, the IRS says.
The April 15 tax deadline, set by statute, remains in place. However, taxpayers may request an automatic six-month extensionby completing nd submitting Form 4868, which can be filed electronically or on paper.
About 90% of IRS operations were closed during the October shutdown, with some major work streams closed entirely, putting the IRS nearly three weeks behind its tight timetable to start the 2014 filing season, Werful said.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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