There may be talk of tax cuts and big changes to the tax code next year. But none of that will affect your 2016 taxes, which you still have to file with Uncle Sam.
The IRS said it will start accepting federal income tax returns on Monday, January 23. If you use tax preparation software, you can complete your return before then, but it won't be electronically submitted to the agency until the 23rd.
And unless you file for an extension, your tax return will be due no later than Tuesday, April 18.
Why the late filing deadline? When the traditional due date of April 15 falls on a weekend, the filing deadline is scheduled for the following Monday unless that Monday happens to be a holiday. This year, Monday, April 17, is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.
If you do file for an extension, remember that April 18 is the day by which you have to have paid any remaining taxes due for 2016.
Some refunds may be delayed
Those who are due refunds typically get them within 21 days of filing.
That's likely to be the case again next year for the majority of filers.
But due to a change in the law, the IRS is now required to hold refunds until Feb. 15 for any low-income filers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
Given that Feb. 15 is a Wednesday, those filers may not have access to their refunds until the week of Feb. 27, the agency said, since their banks may take a few days to process the deposits and because financial institutions will be closed for President's Day on Feb. 20, plus the weekends on either side of it.
