The IRS has announced that the 2026 tax filing season will officially begin on January 26, 2026. The date marks when the IRS will begin accepting paper and electronic tax returns for returns filed by individuals.

The tax agency expects about 164 million individual tax returns to be filed by Tax Day, April 15, 2026. More than half of all tax returns are expected to be filed this year with the help of a tax professional.

Many software companies and tax preparers will accept tax returns before opening day. For clarity, that doesn't mean that your tax return will be filed early (or that refunds will be issued early). The IRS will begin processing returns when the season officially opens.

The tax season filing deadline will be April 15, 2026.

As of the end of the 2025 tax season (data through mid-October 2025), the IRS received over 163.5 million individual returns and processed approximately 163 million of them. The average refund amount was approximately $3,052.

This year, the IRS expects to issue more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. Although the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, the IRS cautions taxpayers not to rely on receiving a refund by a specific date, especially when making major purchases or paying bills. Some returns may require additional review and may take longer.

Due to changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—combined with no adjustments to withholding tables—many taxpayers will expect a refund in the 2026 tax filing season.

But not all taxpayers will get big refunds quickly. The law requires the IRS to hold refunds tied to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until mid-February. Remember that the rule applies to the entire refund—even the portion not associated with the EITC and ACTC. The hold allows the IRS to match information from forms W-2 and 1099 with data reported on tax returns—years ago, refunds could be issued before forms were matched, which increased the likelihood of fraud. The hold, combined with bank processing times and bank holidays, means taxpayers should begin receiving tax refunds around March 3, 2026, if they selected direct deposit and there are no other issues with their tax return.

You can check out Where's My Refund? on IRS.gov or the IRS2Go mobile app for projected deposit dates.

The IRS shut down Direct File, its free filing program, for 2026, but Free File, Fillable Forms, MilTax, and some private tools remain—if you know where to look. You can find........

© Forbes