2023-2024 Tax Season – Key Tax Filing Information and Deals Plus IRS Refund Processing Schedule and Cycle for Direct Deposit Payments

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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2024 Tax Calendar & Key Deadlines

2024 Tax Season Key Dates
Tax Related Activity
Jan 2ndOfficial 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 12thIRS Free File opens and eligible providers will start accepting returns and submit to IRS after Jan 29th
Jan 17thFinal estimated tax quarterly payment due for 2023
Jan 29thIRS 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 1stDate 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 1stDeadline 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 28thPATH 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 15thS 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 15thLast day to make a tax filing year contribution to Traditional or Roth IRAs, Health Savings Account (HSA), SEP-IRAs.
April 15thFBAR (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 15thTax 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 15thU.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 15thDue 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 ProviderSummary
TurboTaxThe 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 BlockH&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
TaxActProvider 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
eFileBasic 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 SlayerAnother 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
Tax Software Filing Providers

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 RateSingle FilersMarried Filing JointlyMarried, Filing SeparateHead of Household
10%Up to $11,000Up to $22,000Up to $11,000Up 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 $578,125Over $693,750Over $346,875Over $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, 2024February 5, 2024February 9, 2024
February 5, 2024February 12, 2024February 16, 2024
February 12, 2024February 19, 2024February 23, 2024
February 19, 2024February 26, 2024March 1, 2024
February 26, 2024March 4, 2024March 8, 2024
March 4, 2024March 11, 2024March 15, 2024
March 11, 2024March 18, 2024March 22, 2024
March 18, 2024March 25, 2024March 29, 2024
March 25, 2024April 1, 2024April 5, 2024
April 1, 2024April 8, 2024April 12, 2024
April 8, 2024April 15, 2024April 19, 2024
April 15, 2024April 22, 2024April 26, 2024
April 22, 2024April 29, 2024May 3, 2024
April 29, 2024May 6, 2024May 10, 2024
May 6, 2024May 13, 2024May 17, 2024
May 13, 2024May 20, 2024May 24, 2024
May 20, 2024May 27, 2024May 31, 2024
May 27, 2024June 3, 2024June 7, 2024
June 3, 2024June 10, 2024June 14, 2024
June 10, 2024June 17, 2024June 21, 2024
June 17, 2024June 24, 2024June 28, 2024
June 24, 2024July 1, 2024July 5, 2024
July 1, 2024July 8, 2024July 12, 2024
July 8, 2024July 15, 2024July 19, 2024
July 15, 2024July 22, 2024July 26, 2024
July 22, 2024July 29, 2024August 2, 2024
July 29, 2024August 5, 2024August 9, 2024
August 5, 2024August 12, 2024August 16, 2024
August 12, 2024August 19, 2024August 23, 2024
August 19, 2024August 26, 2024August 30, 2024
August 26, 2024September 2, 2024September 6, 2024
September 2, 2024September 9, 2024September 13, 2024
September 9, 2024September 16, 2024September 20, 2024
September 16, 2024September 23, 2024September 27, 2024
September 23, 2024September 30, 2024October 4, 2024
September 30, 2024October 7, 2024October 11, 2024
October 7, 2024October 14, 2024October 18, 2024
October 14, 2024October 21, 2024October 25, 2024
October 21, 2024October 28, 2024November 1, 2024
October 28, 2024November 4, 2024November 8, 2024
November 4, 2024November 11, 2024November 15, 2024
November 11, 2024November 18, 2024November 22, 2024
November 18, 2024November 25, 2024November 29, 2024
November 25, 2024December 2, 2024December 6, 2024
December 2, 2024December 9, 2024December 13, 2024
December 9, 2024December 16, 2024December 20, 2024
December 16, 2024December 23, 2024December 27, 2024
December 23, 2024December 30, 2024January 3, 2025
December 30, 2024January 6, 2025January 10, 2025

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18 thoughts on “2023-2024 Tax Season – Key Tax Filing Information and Deals Plus IRS Refund Processing Schedule and Cycle for Direct Deposit Payments”

  1. 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

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  2. 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?

    Reply
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  4. 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?

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  5. 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.

    Reply
  6. 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!

    Reply
  7. 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

    Reply

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