Here's when the IRS will start accepting tax returns this year

The IRS announced it will officially begin accepting 2023 tax returns on Monday, Jan. 29.

But although official processing won't begin until that date, the agency said, filers shouldn't wait to start working on their returns. Most companies that provide tax-filing services have already made 2023 tax year forms available and will simply hold them until the IRS is ready to begin processing.

The agency said IRS Free File for taxpayers with annual incomes of $79,000 or less will also be available on IRS.gov starting Friday. However, the new IRS Direct File pilot, which will allow eligible taxpayers to file their taxes online for free directly with the IRS, won't be fully rolled out until mid-March.

“As our transformation efforts take hold, taxpayers will continue to see marked improvement in IRS operations in the upcoming filing season,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “IRS employees are working hard to make sure that new funding is used to help taxpayers by making the process of preparing and filing taxes easier.”

Among the improvements the agency is touting are expanded in-person services via Taxpayer Assistance Centers, increased help available on the toll-free hotline and an expanded customer callback feature designed to significantly reduce wait times.

The agency said it expects more than 128.7 million individual tax returns to be filed by the April 15 tax deadline.

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