This time of year I get a lot of questions on when the IRS will allow people to file their taxes and when (if applicable) refunds will be paid.  For the 2016-2017 tax season the IRS e-File (online tax filing) system will open on Monday, January 23rd. You can technically submit as early as January 1st via your tax provider or online filing software, but the IRS will not process until it opens up it’s e-File system. Other key dates for the upcoming tax season are shown in the table below.
2016-2017 Tax Season Filing Key Dates and Deadlines
2017 Deadline | Tax Related Activity |
---|---|
January 1, 2017 | First day to file a 2016 tax return, though the IRS generally will not accept e-file and free file returns until the date below. Even paper based filings won't be processed till later in the month |
January 23, 2017 | IRS E-file to go live, allowing submission of electronic tax returns for the vast majority of tax filers. Paper tax returns will begin processing from this date as well |
January 31, 2017 | Date by which you should have received a W-2 from employers you worked for during the tax year. If not, contact their HR/Payroll department to resend tax documents |
February 1, 2017 | Deadline for 1099 statements (factors in your AGI income) that report non-employee compensation, bank interest, dividends and distributions from a retirement plan. This date is also the deadline for self-employed individuals to file and pay in full their fourth-quarter estimated tax payment |
February 16, 2017 | Financial institutions (e.g Vanguard, Fidelity) must 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 |
March 15, 2017 | S Corporation and Partnership tax returns due |
April 18, 2017 | *Tax Day* Last day for filing federal income tax returns and extension requests. Since April 15th is a Saturday and Monday is the Emancipation Day holiday the due date has been shifted out to Tuesday, April 18th. |
April 18, 2017 | Deadline for filing state income tax returns (for most states) and extension requests. Last day to make a contribution to a Traditional or Roth IRA, Health Savings Account (HSA), SEP-IRA or 401(k) |
April 18, 2017 | 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. |
June 15, 2017 | U.S. citizens or resident aliens living abroad must file tax returns and pay any taxes due by this date (or file for a four-month extension) |
October 15, 2017 | Filing approved extended federal, state and S-Corp/Partnership income tax returns Note: you still need to file for an extension request by April 17th |
April 15, 2020 | Filing a 2016 tax amendment. You can file an amended or previous year return anytime, but you have a deadline of 3 years from the original due date to claim any tax refund. |
After filing your return and if eligible the next most common question people will ask is when will I get my IRS tax refund? Well for 2017, the following table shows the estimated refund schedule and processing times. See more details and comments here, The table below shows the date your refund will likely be processed and paid based on the week your return is accepted by the IRS.Â
2016-2017 Tax Season IRS Refund Schedule
IRS Accepts Return After (WMR status = Return Received) | IRS Return Accepted Before (End Date) | Estimated Refund Due Date (via Direct Deposit) | Estimated Refund Due Date (via Paper Check) |
---|---|---|---|
January 23, 2017 | January 27, 2017 | February 3, 2017 | February 6, 2017 |
January 27, 2017 | February 3, 2017 | February 10, 2017 | February 13, 2017 |
February 3, 2017 | February 10, 2017 | February 17, 2017 | February 20, 2017 |
February 10, 2017 | February 15, 2017 | February 24, 2017 | February 27, 2017 |
February 15, 2017 | February 24, 2017 | March 3, 2017 | March 6, 2017 |
February 24, 2017 | March 3, 2017 | March 10, 2017 | March 13, 2017 |
March 3, 2017 | March 10, 2017 | March 17, 2017 | March 20, 2017 |
March 10, 2017 | March 17, 2017 | March 24, 2017 | March 27, 2017 |
March 17, 2017 | March 24, 2017 | April 1, 2017 | April 3, 2017 |
March 24, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | April 9, 2017 | April 13, 2017 |
March 31, 2017 | April 7, 2017 | April 18, 2017 | April 20, 2017 |
April 7, 2017 | April 14, 2017 | April 25, 2017 | April 27, 2017 |
April 14, 2017 | April 21, 2017 | May 2, 2017 | May 4, 2017 |
April 21, 2017 | April 28, 2017 | May 9, 2017 | May 11, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 | May 5, 2017 | May 16, 2017 | May 18, 2017 |
May 5, 2017 | May 12, 2017 | May 23, 2017 | May 25, 2017 |
May 12, 2017 | May 19, 2017 | May 30, 2017 | June 1, 2017 |
May 19, 2017 | May 26, 2017 | June 6, 2017 | June 8, 2017 |
May 26, 2017 | June 2, 2017 | June 13, 2017 | June 15, 2017 |
June 2, 2017 | June 9, 2017 | June 20, 2017 | June 22, 2017 |
June 9, 2017 | June 16, 2017 | June 27, 2017 | June 29, 2017 |
June 16, 2017 | June 23, 2017 | July 5, 2017 | July 7, 2017 |
June 23, 2017 | June 30, 2017 | July 11, 2017 | July 13, 2017 |
June 30, 2017 | July 7, 2017 | July 18, 2017 | July 20, 2017 |
July 7, 2017 | July 14, 2017 | July 25, 2017 | July 27, 2017 |
July 14, 2017 | July 21, 2017 | August 1, 2017 | August 3, 2017 |
July 21, 2017 | July 28, 2017 | August 8, 2017 | August 10, 2017 |
July 28, 2017 | August 4, 2017 | August 15, 2017 | August 17, 2017 |
August 4, 2017 | August 11, 2017 | August 22, 2017 | August 24, 2017 |
August 11, 2017 | August 18, 2017 | August 29, 2017 | August 31, 2017 |
August 18, 2017 | August 25, 2017 | September 5, 2017 | September 7, 2017 |
August 25, 2017 | September 1, 2017 | September 12, 2017 | September 14, 2017 |
September 1, 2017 | September 8, 2017 | September 19, 2017 | September 21, 2017 |
September 8, 2017 | September 15, 2017 | September 26, 2017 | September 28, 2017 |
September 15, 2017 | September 22, 2017 | October 3, 2017 | October 5, 2017 |
September 22, 2017 | September 29, 2017 | October 10, 2017 | October 12, 2017 |
September 29, 2017 | October 6, 2017 | October 17, 2017 | October 19, 2017 |
October 6, 2017 | October 13, 2017 | October 24, 2017 | October 26, 2017 |
October 13, 2017 | October 20, 2017 | October 31, 2017 | November 2, 2017 |
October 20, 2017 | October 27, 2017 | November 7, 2017 | November 9, 2017 |
October 27, 2017 | November 3, 2017 | November 14, 2017 | November 16, 2017 |
November 3, 2017 | November 10, 2017 | November 21, 2017 | November 23, 2017 |
November 10, 2017 | November 17, 2017 | November 28, 2017 | November 30, 2017 |
November 17, 2017 | November 24, 2017 | December 5, 2017 | December 7, 2017 |
November 24, 2017 | December 1, 2017 | December 12, 2017 | December 14, 2017 |
December 1, 2017 | December 8, 2017 | December 19, 2017 | December 21, 2017 |
December 8, 2017 | December 15, 2017 | December 26, 2017 | December 28, 2017 |
December 15, 2017 | December 22, 2017 | January 2, 2018 | January 4, 2018 |
December 22, 2017 | December 29, 2017 | January 9, 2018 | January 11, 2018 |
December 29, 2017 | January 5, 2018 | January 16, 2018 | January 18, 2018 |