What Is the Earliest You Should File Your Taxes?

Although the deadline for filing an income tax return is April 15, you can submit your return to the Internal Revenue Service as early as Jan. 15. You can do this either by mail or by using the IRS's electronic filing system, e-file.

E-File

The IRS begins accepting e-filed tax returns on Jan. 15. Any e-filed returns submitted before that date will be rejected or held in the IRS's queue until Jan. 15.

Paper Returns

You can mail your tax return in at any time, but the IRS won't begin processing returns until Jan. 15. The processing time for paper returns is six to eight weeks.

Considerations

Employers are required by law to send their employees W-2 forms on or before Jan. 30. Paper returns should be mailed to the IRS office that processes returns for your area. If you are not sure which office that is, go to the IRS's website (www. irs.gov). If you do your return with e-file, use tax software such as TaxAct, TurboTax or TaxSlayer.

Exceptions

If you wish to file your return on Jan. 15 and have not received your W-2, you can complete your return without the W-2. You'll need to fill out and attach IRS Form 4852 (see Resources).

Warning

You should receive a confirmation email from the IRS confirming receipt of your electronic return. If you do not get a confirmation, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to check the status of your return.

References

• IRS: E-File Tax Calendar

Resources

• IRS: Form 4852