WASHINGTON (AP) — Jan. 26 will be the official start date for the 2026 tax filing season when the IRS begins accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. April 15 is the deadline for applications.
Tax experts, including the IRS' independent watchdog, have warned that this year's filing season could be hampered by the loss of tens of thousands of tax collection workers who have left the agency amid planned layoffs and tax buyouts spurred by Elon Musk's Department of Government Effectiveness.
The IRS will also be responsible for implementing key provisions of the Republican tax and spending package signed into law last summer. Some provisions of the law are retroactive to the 2025 tax year, which will likely lead to more questions from taxpayers and require the IRS to update tax forms.
“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and is committed to enhancing a successful tax filing season in 2025,” Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent said in a press release. “I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for both businesses and consumers.”
The IRS expects to receive approximately 164 million individual income tax returns this year, the same as what it received last year.
The National Taxpayer Advocate's latest report to Congress, released in June, said the IRS workforce fell from 102,113 at the end of the Biden administration to 75,702. The IRS website does not publish the latest employment data for agency employees.
IRS employees involved in last year's tax season were not allowed to accept the Trump administration's buyout offer before the April 15, 2025 taxpayer filing deadline.
A June report from the National Taxpayer Advocate to Congress warned that the 2026 season could be challenging.
“With a 26% reduction in IRS workforce and significant tax law changes ahead, there are risks associated with next year's filing season,” said Erin M. Collins, who heads an organization dedicated to protecting taxpayer rights.
