2025 Tax Season Key Dates for U.S. Taxpayers
IRS Free File Opening: January 10, 2025
Official Tax Filing Season Start: January 27, 2025
Tax Filing Deadline: April 15, 2025 (Tuesday)
Extension Filing Deadline: April 15, 2025
Extension Filing Details:
* Grants an extension until October 15, 2025, to file without penalties.
* Requires taxpayers to provide basic information and estimated tax amount owed.
* Only applies to filing extension, not tax payment extensions.
Consequences of Missed Deadline:
* Penalty of 5% of tax due for each month late, up to 25%.
* Additional 0.5% penalty for late payment or failure to pay tax owed with extension.
Refund Processing:
* Majority of refunds issued within 21 calendar days.
* Paper returns may take longer (four weeks or more).
Tracking Refunds:
* Use the "Where's My Refund?" tool for updates on e-filed refunds within 24 hours.
* For paper returns, refund information is typically available after four weeks.
Tax Filing Statistics:
* Over 163 million tax returns filed in 2024.
* IRS anticipates over 140 million individual tax returns to be filed before the April 2025 deadline.