The IRS announced that 2025 filing season for individual income tax returns started on January 27. That’s when the agency began accepting and processing 2024 tax year returns. Even if you typically don’t file until much closer to the mid-April deadline (or you file for an extension), you may want to file earlier this year. The reason is you can potentially protect yourself from tax identity theft. Here are some answers to questions taxpayers may have about filing. How can your tax identity be stolen? Tax identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information — such as your Social Security Number — to file a fraudulent tax return and claim a refund in your name. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to protect yourself from...

The IRS announced it opened the 2024 income tax return filing season on January 29. That’s when the tax agency began accepting and processing 2023 tax year returns. Here are answers to seven tax season questions we receive at this time of year. (1)  What are this year’s deadlines? The filing deadline to submit 2023 returns or file an extension is Monday, April 15, 2024, for most taxpayers. Taxpayers living in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, due to state holidays. If taxpayers reside in a federally declared disaster area, they may have additional time to file. (2) When is my return due if I request an extension? If you’re requesting an extension, you’ll have until October 15, 2024, to file. Keep in mind that an extension of time...