Getting prepared for the 2022 tax season

January 16, 2022

The 2022 tax season will officially begin on Monday, January 24.

The IRS is encouraging everyone to have all the information they need to file a complete and accurate return this year.

Accurate tax returns can help avoid processing delays, refund delays and IRS notices, they say.

Those who received advance Child Tax Credit payments or Economic Impact Payments (American Rescue Plan stimulus payments) in 2021 will need to have these amounts when filing their returns.

The IRS will be mailing letters to recipients, but that information can also be checked on IRS.gov.

The IRS says that, like last year, there will be individuals filing tax returns who, even though they are not required to file, need to file a 2021 return to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit to receive the tax credit from the 2021 stimulus payments or reconcile advance payments of the Child Tax Credit.

The filing deadline to submit a 2021 tax return or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Monday, April 18, 2022.

Taxpayers who request an extension will have until Monday, October 17, 2022 to file.

Key filing season dates

There are several important dates taxpayers should keep in mind for this year’s filing season:

January 18: Due date for tax year 2021 fourth quarter estimated tax payment.
January 24: IRS begins 2022 tax season. Individual 2021 tax returns begin being accepted and processing begins.
January 28: Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day to raise awareness of valuable tax credits available to many people – including the option to use prior-year income to qualify.
April 18: Due date to file 2021 tax return or request extension and pay tax owed due to Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C., even for those who live outside the area.
April 19: Due date to file 2021 tax return or request extension and pay tax owed for those who live in MA or ME due to Patriots’ Day holiday.
October 17: Due date to file for those requesting an extension on their 2021 tax returns.

A turbulent tax season awaits: Here’s how long it will take to get your tax refund in 2022

Three-quarters of all Americans get an annual tax refund from the IRS, which often is a family’s biggest check of the year. But this tax season could see a repeat of last year’s snarls in processing, when about 30 million taxpayers had their returns — and refunds — held up by the IRS.

Treasury Department officials warned last Monday (January 10) that this year’s tax season will be a challenge once the IRS starts processing returns on January 24. That’s largely due to the IRS’ sizable backlog of returns from 2021. As of December 23, the agency had 6 million unprocessed individual returns — a significant reduction from a backlog of 30 million in May, but far higher than the 1 million unprocessed returns that is more typical around the start of tax season.

That may make taxpayers nervous about delays in 2022, but most Americans should get their refunds within 21 days of filing, the IRS said — with some caveats.