WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has announced Monday, Jan. 26, as the opening of the nation’s 2026 filing season.

The IRS Free File program will begin accepting individual tax returns starting Friday, Jan. 9, for qualified taxpayers. Taxpayers comfortable preparing their own taxes can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms starting Jan. 26, regardless of income. Military members and some veterans can use the Department of Defense program, MilTax, for free return preparation and e-filing software.

Taxpayers have until Wednesday, April 15, to file their 2025 tax returns and pay any tax due. The IRS stated it expects to receive about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, with most taxpayers filing electronically.

The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to establish a bank account to receive their tax refunds via direct deposit, because the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks due to an executive order. Refund status information is generally available around 24 hours after e-filing a current-year return, or four weeks after filing a paper return.

Along with filing taxes, parents, guardians and other authorized individuals also can elect to establish a new type of individual retirement account for their newborn children. The program launches July 5 with $1,000 for each enrolled child born between Jan. 1, 2025-Dec. 31, 2028.