San Antonio – Monday is the first day of tax filing season, and experts said this week could be an excellent time to get your records in order.
The first day of tax season means the Internal Revenue Service will start accepting and processing 2022 returns.
The message IRS officials are driving home to south Texans is to make sure your records are accurate. They said if documents from your employer are inaccurate, it could lead to a smaller return.
“If you look at them from your employer and it doesn’t match what your last paycheck stub says, contact the employer. Don’t file with that bad information. The IRS can’t fix it for you,” IRS spokesperson Michael Devine said.
Several tax credits will return to pre-pandemic levels, including child tax credits. People who received $3,600 per dependent for the 20-21 tax year will get $2,000 per dependent this 2022 tax year.
“There have been a number of changes to the tax laws. Most of them were COVID related and have gone away,” Devine said.
Devine said tax season means we could see an uptick in tax scams or fraud attempts. According to the IRS, over 90% of data theft begins with email phishing. Devine said the earlier you file, the less opportunity there will be to fall victim to fraud.
“If someone has taken your identity and stolen it, they may have filed before you. If your return is accepted, that means nobody got it in before you did. If it’s not, that gives you an immediate heads up that you need to start taking action in contacting the IRS or your tax professional,” Devine said.
Free e-filing tools including TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA and H&R Block free edition is available online.
The deadline to file is Tuesday, April 18.