When Is the Soonest You Can File Taxes?

Many people look forward to filing their annual tax returns, often with the hope of receiving a refund. The earliest you can file depends on two factors: the official start of the tax season as determined by the IRS and your readiness with all necessary documentation.

The Official IRS Filing Start Date

Each year, the Internal Revenue Service designates an official start date for the tax filing season, which is when the agency begins to accept and process returns. For the 2025 tax season, the IRS will begin accepting returns on January 27, 2025. It is impossible to have a return officially submitted and processed before this day.

Many tax software companies and tax professionals allow taxpayers to prepare their returns before the IRS’s official start date. However, the return is held and will not be transmitted to the IRS until the official start date arrives.

Required Documents and Information

Before you can accurately file your tax return, you must gather all necessary financial documents for the year. The most common of these is Form W-2, the Wage and Tax Statement, which you should receive from each of your employers. For other sources of income, various versions of Form 1099 are also needed, including Form 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation, Form 1099-INT for interest income, and Form 1099-DIV for dividends and distributions.

By law, employers and other payers are required to send these tax forms to recipients by January 31 each year. While you might be tempted to file using information from your last paystub, you should wait for the official W-2. A final paystub may not include all year-end adjustments, such as retirement plan contributions or health insurance premium costs, which are detailed on the W-2.

The IRS matches the information you report against the forms they receive from payers. If discrepancies are found, it could trigger an IRS notice, require you to file an amended return using Form 1040-X, or result in an adjusted refund amount.

Methods for Submitting Your Return

Once the IRS is accepting returns and you have all your documents, you can choose how to submit your completed forms. The two primary methods are electronic filing, known as e-file, and traditional paper filing by mail. E-filing is the most popular and fastest method, used by the vast majority of taxpayers through tax software or with a tax professional.

Filing by mail involves printing your completed tax return and sending the physical documents to an IRS service center. This is a much slower process, as a mailed paper return can take four to eight weeks or longer to be processed, significantly delaying any potential refund compared to the typical 21-day turnaround for e-filed returns with direct deposit.