The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the 2025 U.S. tax season will begin on Monday, January 27, 2025. More than 140 million individual tax returns for the 2024 tax year are expected to be filed by the federal deadline of Tuesday, April 15.
The end of the 2025 tax season for most Americans is April 15, 2025. If you are unable to file before that date, you still have options.
You can file for an extension. Filing an extension gives you an additional six months to October 15, 2025, to submit a complete return. If you believe you will owe taxes, you must estimate how much you owe and pay the amount due with your extension form.
You can file a late return without an extension. If you do not owe taxes or you expect a refund, you may not owe a penalty. If you owe taxes, you may be charged a penalty for filing late.
If you do not owe taxes or you expect a refund, you may not owe a penalty. Still, it may be best to file as soon as you can to receive your refund or to ensure you don’t owe a balance. See below for more information on ways to file a return for free and claiming your tax refund.
If you are one of the 100 million people eligible to file your tax return for free, you can check out the programs listed below:
If you meet the requirements below, you may be able to take advantage of in-person, full-service tax preparation services through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. These free programs have operated for over 50 years and use IRS certified tax preparers and meet high IRS quality standards. This means you can be assured that you will have an accurate return.
You can schedule an appointment with VITA/TCE and Tax-Aide sites if any of the following apply to you:
Generally make $67,000 or less,
Have a disability,
Have limited English skills or speak English as a second language, or
Are 60 years or older
Find a VITA, TCE, or AARP Tax-Aide site.
Note: Some VITA or AARP Tax Aide sites are open year-round and some close at the end of tax season. When you search for a site, check the “Dates open” column to find a site that plans to remain open after April 15, 2025.
You can get connected to VITA providers around the country virtually to have your return prepared by signing up through GetYourRefund. Check the website for details.
If your income is $84,000 or less, you may be eligible to prepare and file federal income tax returns for free online, using guided tax preparation software through IRS Free File. Other eligibility for free products varies with providers and some may charge fees to file state returns. Review offers carefully and access this service through the IRS link, rather than going directly to the website for the guided tax preparation software.
You can prepare and file your tax return for free through MilTax (en inglés), if you are:
Active-duty service members, spouses and dependent children of the eligible service members.
Members of the National Guard and reserve — regardless of activation status.
Retired and honorably discharged service members, including Coast Guard veterans, within 365 days of their discharge.
A family member who is managing the affairs of an eligible service member while the service member is deployed.
A designated family member of a severely-injured service member who is incapable of handling their own affairs.
Eligible survivors of active-duty, National Guard and reserve deceased service members regardless of conflict or activation status.
Some members of the Defense Department Civilian Expeditionary workforce.
Scammers usually target you by impersonating the IRS to get you to share your personal information with them. Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use mail, telephone, or email to target individuals, businesses, and payroll and tax professionals.
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages, or social media channels to request personal or financial information. Learn how to recognize the telltale signs of a scam and make sure you know how to tell if it’s really the IRS calling or knocking on your door.
For more information, consult the materials available from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/es
