The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that it will begin accepting and processing 2019 returns on January 27, opening the gates for millions of individual tax return filers. The deadline for filing and paying any tax due remains Wednesday, April 15.

More than 150 million individual tax returns are expected to be filed for the 2019 tax year, the vast majority of those coming before the April deadline.

"As we enter the filing season, taxpayers should know that the dedicated workforce of the IRS stands ready to help," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We encourage taxpayers to plan ahead and use the tools and information available on IRS.gov. The IRS and the nation's tax community are committed to making this another smooth filing season."

The IRS says it set the opening date on January 27 so the agency could better ensure the security and readiness of its key tax processing computer systems while checking that IRS automated procedures are set to implement recent tax legislation for 2019 returns.

Commissioner Rettig says for best service, the taxpayer has a couple of important choices to make. “The IRS encourages everyone to consider filing electronically and choosing direct deposit," Rettig said. "It's fast, accurate and the best way to get your refund as quickly as possible."

IRS reminds taxpayers that they don't have to wait until January 27 to start their tax return or contact a reputable tax preparer.

In addition, IRS tax help is available 24 hours a day on IRS.gov, the official IRS website, where people can find answers to tax questions and resolve tax issues online. The Let Us Help You page helps answer most tax questions, and the IRS Services Guide (PDF) links to these and other IRS services.

Source: IR-2020-02