Don’t like ’em but got to pay Uncle Sam to stay clean and fund the land we live in. However be smart and realize while we should pay our fair share there are many credits, deductions and tax breaks you should be taking advantage of to lower your taxes or maximize your refund. For these and other tax related information keep reading.
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Trending Tax Season Topics
- 7 most searched tax topics
- Tax Rates and Brackets
- Tax Season Due Dates and Deadlines
- Tax Refund Delays and Contacting the IRS
- Why is my refund lower than expected?
- IRS New Agents and System Upgrades under PATH act
- Current IRS Tax Refund Processing Schedule
- IRS Processing Cycle Code
- Amended Returns
- What to the IRS Tax Transcript Codes Mean?
- Child Tax Credit (CTC) Stimulus
- Earned Income Tax Credit
2024 Tax Calendar & Key Deadlines
2024 Tax Season Key Dates | Tax Related Activity |
---|---|
Jan 2nd | Official start of the current tax season. You can start filing a federal tax return via e-file or mailed-in paper returns, though the IRS generally will not accept and process tax returns until January 29th |
Jan 12th | IRS Free File opens and eligible providers will start accepting returns and submit to IRS after Jan 29th |
Jan 17th | Final estimated tax quarterly payment due for 2023 |
Jan 29th | IRS E-file goes "live" allowing acceptance and processing of electronic tax returns for the vast majority of tax filers. Paper tax returns will begin processing a week or two later (see est. IRS refund schedule) |
Feb 1st | Date by which you should have received a W-2 from employer(s) you worked for during the tax year. If not, contact their HR/Payroll department to resend tax documents. |
Feb 1st | Deadline for receiving 1099 statements (factors in your AGI income) that report non-employee compensation, bank interest, dividends and distributions from a retirement plan. Financial institutions (e.g Vanguard, Fidelity) must also mail out 1099-B, 1099-S and 1099-MISC forms by this date. See what these forms are and if you will need one for your return |
Feb 28th | PATH Act Lifts (estimated IRS date). Refund dates released for taxpayers who have filed electronically and claimed the EITC or ACTC. Impacted refund payments will generally start 8 to10 days after this date. See more on PATH updates and processing. |
March 15th | S Corporation and Partnership tax returns or extension requests due |
April 15th | *Tax Day* Last day for on-time filing of federal and state IRS income tax returns or for submitting extension requests (Form 4868). The IRS may extend this due to DC's Emancipation day holiday. Residents in FEMA approved federal disaster zones will also get an automatic extension (see below). Otherwise all tax liabilities or payments must be made by this day to avoid interest and penalties. This includes returns with approved extensions to file. If you are unable to pay your taxes, you can apply for an IRS payment plan. |
April 15th | Last day to make a tax filing year contribution to Traditional or Roth IRAs, Health Savings Account (HSA), SEP-IRAs. |
April 15th | FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report) forms due for taxpayers who have signature authority over $10,000 in total in foreign bank accounts in the prior year. Laws enacted last year change the standard FBAR due date to "tax day" (vs June 30th as in years past). No extensions are allowed and forms must be filed electronically. |
May 15th | Tax Day for designated FEMA relief areas where the IRS provided tax payment and filing extensions. Individuals and households that reside or have a business in these areas may qualify for tax relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the IRS disaster relief page. |
June 15th | U.S. citizens or resident aliens living abroad must file tax returns by this date (or request a four-month extension). See section below for more details. Any actual or estimated taxes are still due by Tax Day. |
Oct 15th | Due date to file approved extensions for federal, state and S-Corp/Partnership income tax returns |
See this article for more information and comments on key dates, forms and deadlines for the current, past and upcoming tax season.
Best Tax Filing Software Providers (and deals)
Maximize your refund and pay as little as you have to with these recommended top online e-file tax software packages. You can try them all for free and only pay when you actually file the return.
Most will get you to the same refund number, but the user experience and post-filing support (if audit issues) are what you pay for with the bigger players.
Tax Provider | Summary |
---|---|
TurboTax | The most headache-free option, with a very slick user interface and a variety of live support options. From the simplest to the most complex return, TurboTax probably has various options to cover you (see full review). Good for small business’ and self employed. It also has some great post filing support and a 100% accuracy guarantee, where they pay any IRS or state penalty (or interest) related to any errors they made. See all TurboTax Deals |
H&R Block | H&R Block’s offers an in-person and online do-it-yourself tax preparation service with well designed filing software and over 12,000 retail offices to provide back-up options and audit support. It’s a large national brand and if you like the ability to get a high level of support (online and in person) then block is a good option. See H&R Block Deals |
TaxAct | Provider of affordable digital tax preparation solutions for individuals, business owners and tax professionals. The software has been designed by in-house programmers and tax accountants. Probably one of the best value D-I-Y online tax filing options out there. See more TaxAct Deals |
eFile | Basic and no-frill tax filing software for a fraction of the cost of the larger providers. If your return is simple and you just want a straightforward electronic filing option then this is the tax filing package for you. File for free with eFile |
Tax Slayer | Another one of the low frill providers out there for those looking for an inexpensive tax software option a sleek and mobile friendly user interface. They also provide maximum refund guarantees. Like other providers you get one free state filing with your federal return and can up load a lot of your tax documents. Phone and email support is available, but no live chat. See tax season deals |
See a more detailed review of tax software providers.
You can use the IRS Free e-Filing (online tax software filing) if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is below a certain threshold. This free filing service is partnership between the IRS and major tax software providers. Note that participating tax software companies can set lower or higher AGI limits for using free file through their online service (see more details in this article).
2023-2024 Tax Brackets and Standard Deduction
See this article for more on the prior & current federal tax brackets.
2023 Federal Taxable Income IRS Tax Brackets and Rates
Tax Rate | Single Filers | Married Filing Jointly | Married, Filing Separate | Head of Household |
---|---|---|---|---|
10% | Up to $11,000 | Up to $22,000 | Up to $11,000 | Up to $15,700 |
12% | $11,001 to $44,725 | $22,001 to $89,450 | $11,001 to $44,725 | $15,701 to $59,850 |
22% | $44,726 to $95,375 | $89,451 to $190,750 | $44,726 to $95,375 | $59,851 to $95,350 |
24% | $95,376 to $182,100 | $190,751 to $364,200 | $95,376 to $182,100 | $95,351 to $182,100 |
32% | $182,101 to $231,250 | $364,201 to $462,500 | $182,101 to $231,250 | $182,101 to $231,250 |
35% | $231,251 to $578,125 | $462,501 to $693,750 | $231,251 to $346,875 | $231,251 to $578,100 |
37% | Over $578,125 | Over $693,750 | Over $346,875 | Over $578,100 |
Standard Deduction | $13,850 | $27,700 | $13,850 | $20,800 |
2024 IRS Refund Schedule
Below is the estimated IRS refund schedule for standard/regular returns. You can see more in this article which has several thousand comments on people having refund issues due to some of these reasons.
Tax Return is Accepted by IRS By: (Status = Return Received) | IRS Processing Completed By: (Status = Refund Approved) | Est. Refund Payment (DD) By: (Status = Refund Sent) |
---|---|---|
January 29, 2024 | February 5, 2024 | February 9, 2024 |
February 5, 2024 | February 12, 2024 | February 16, 2024 |
February 12, 2024 | February 19, 2024 | February 23, 2024 |
February 19, 2024 | February 26, 2024 | March 1, 2024 |
February 26, 2024 | March 4, 2024 | March 8, 2024 |
March 4, 2024 | March 11, 2024 | March 15, 2024 |
March 11, 2024 | March 18, 2024 | March 22, 2024 |
March 18, 2024 | March 25, 2024 | March 29, 2024 |
March 25, 2024 | April 1, 2024 | April 5, 2024 |
April 1, 2024 | April 8, 2024 | April 12, 2024 |
April 8, 2024 | April 15, 2024 | April 19, 2024 |
April 15, 2024 | April 22, 2024 | April 26, 2024 |
April 22, 2024 | April 29, 2024 | May 3, 2024 |
April 29, 2024 | May 6, 2024 | May 10, 2024 |
May 6, 2024 | May 13, 2024 | May 17, 2024 |
May 13, 2024 | May 20, 2024 | May 24, 2024 |
May 20, 2024 | May 27, 2024 | May 31, 2024 |
May 27, 2024 | June 3, 2024 | June 7, 2024 |
June 3, 2024 | June 10, 2024 | June 14, 2024 |
June 10, 2024 | June 17, 2024 | June 21, 2024 |
June 17, 2024 | June 24, 2024 | June 28, 2024 |
June 24, 2024 | July 1, 2024 | July 5, 2024 |
July 1, 2024 | July 8, 2024 | July 12, 2024 |
July 8, 2024 | July 15, 2024 | July 19, 2024 |
July 15, 2024 | July 22, 2024 | July 26, 2024 |
July 22, 2024 | July 29, 2024 | August 2, 2024 |
July 29, 2024 | August 5, 2024 | August 9, 2024 |
August 5, 2024 | August 12, 2024 | August 16, 2024 |
August 12, 2024 | August 19, 2024 | August 23, 2024 |
August 19, 2024 | August 26, 2024 | August 30, 2024 |
August 26, 2024 | September 2, 2024 | September 6, 2024 |
September 2, 2024 | September 9, 2024 | September 13, 2024 |
September 9, 2024 | September 16, 2024 | September 20, 2024 |
September 16, 2024 | September 23, 2024 | September 27, 2024 |
September 23, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | October 4, 2024 |
September 30, 2024 | October 7, 2024 | October 11, 2024 |
October 7, 2024 | October 14, 2024 | October 18, 2024 |
October 14, 2024 | October 21, 2024 | October 25, 2024 |
October 21, 2024 | October 28, 2024 | November 1, 2024 |
October 28, 2024 | November 4, 2024 | November 8, 2024 |
November 4, 2024 | November 11, 2024 | November 15, 2024 |
November 11, 2024 | November 18, 2024 | November 22, 2024 |
November 18, 2024 | November 25, 2024 | November 29, 2024 |
November 25, 2024 | December 2, 2024 | December 6, 2024 |
December 2, 2024 | December 9, 2024 | December 13, 2024 |
December 9, 2024 | December 16, 2024 | December 20, 2024 |
December 16, 2024 | December 23, 2024 | December 27, 2024 |
December 23, 2024 | December 30, 2024 | January 3, 2025 |
December 30, 2024 | January 6, 2025 | January 10, 2025 |
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I need to update my address because at the time I moved from the address were I got two stimulus checks and my bank account closed because I didn’t have no money in to keep it open
I didn’t get the first 3 stimulus chcks
you can claim them via your tax return. The first 2 via your 2020 return (you can retroactively file returns) and the last in your current 2021 return.
Its been over a month now since they given me this 151 code and no letter whats going on?
I have no updates at all.
My husband did my taxes (like every year) and they were accepted. It said they were going to be deposited on the 4th of April but now it says they are processing … Is there a cause for this? Why would they go from accepted to processing?
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Can someone tell me what the minimum amount of income is to be eligible for the EIC?
See this article – > https://savingtoinvest.com/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc-qualification-and-income-threshold-limits/
$! to get some of the credit, but to get the full credit you need to meet the annually adjusted thresholds as shown in the article.
hi had a question how come i cant see the comments to talk about the refund any more when i tey to get on it brings e to the 2015 taxes comments
for the 2016 refunds
I hear that if you can order a transcript you will get your refund within 72 hours? I was able to order mine over the phone. Is this a good sign?
I ordered my transcript (refund transcript) on Saturday (02/20/16) – two weeks after filing (02/06/16). I had no problem ordering them; however, I didn’t get my tax refund yet. On the 27th it will be 21 days. I helped a friend file his taxes on the same day (02/06/16) and he got his refund last week. I always hate waiting, but it’s not looking like the “72 hour” rule really applies.
Also Waiting, Have you gotten anything yet?
I filled over two weeks ago and I still haven’t seen any change on the Wheres my IRS tax refund. Why is it taking so much longer for my taxes to be processed? I only had 1 income and 1 dependent.
See this article with more information on WMR – https://savingtoinvest.com/wmr-and-irs2go-status-differences-return-received-accepted-or-under-review-and-refund-approved-versus-refund-sent/
I lost my copy, of my taxes so that I can find out if it was mailed out yet or not. But I would need the amount to find it out. Cause I need to pay my rent for this mouth, I hop that you can help me cause I don’t need to be livining in the street. Thank you!
I bought my home in june 2010 I think as a vet its wrong I cant get a first time home owners tax credit served 8 yrs still missed it by 45 days there should be a wavier for people like me