When Is the Soonest You Can File Your Taxes?
Generally, you can file your tax return as soon as you have the necessary information required to file. This does not, however, mean that your return will be accepted by the IRS when you file it. Although you can submit current year tax returns at any time, the IRS does not begin accepting returns until a specific date that changes from year to year.
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Significant Filing Dates
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For tax year 2010, all returns are due on April 18th--unless you receive a six month extension, in which case your return wouldn't be due until October 17th. January 14th is the first day to file electronically, January 17th is the first date to receive an email acknowledgment of your return, and October 20th is the last day to e-file a return. You can mail your return to the IRS at any time and the IRS generally begins processing those returns after the January 14th date.
W-2 & 1099
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If you have not received your wage information by February 15th, you should contact your employer to request that it be mailed to you. If your employer does not respond, then you should call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS will mail a letter to your employer reminding them of their responsibility to provide you with a wage statement. In addition, the IRS will also send you a copy of a letter mailed to your employer along with form 4852. Form 4852 should be used as a substitute for your W-2 if you do not receive one from your employer. Just estimate your tax and wage amounts using previous pay stubs and attach the form to your tax return. If you receive your correct W-2 and it is different from the form 4852 you mailed to the IRS, then you should complete a 1040X to make the necessary corrections and mail it to the office that processed your original return. The time frame for form 1040X is eight to 12 weeks.
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Determining Refund Date
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Generally, taxpayers who e-file receive their refunds within 10 days of filing, while taxpayers who file by mail receive their refunds within six to eight weeks. Taxpayers who e-file their returns can reference the IRS cycle chart to determine the date on which they should receive their income tax refunds. In addition, you can go to the "Where's My Refund" link at the IRS website to determine whether your refund has completed processing and if your refund has been direct deposited.
Considerations
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If you submitted your return before the due date, there's no need to panic. Usually, early returns remain in the IRS queue until filing season opens. Be sure to call the IRS refund hotline at 800-829-1954 or check the "Where's My Refund" link after filing season begins to monitor the status of your returns. If it was not received by the IRS, you will be required to resubmit it.
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