The IRS has not yet announced when tax filing season 2027 opens, but the calendar points to Monday, January 25, 2027. That is a projection, not a date the IRS has confirmed, and it matters because filing before the season opens does not get your refund to you any faster. What is already set in stone is the other end of the season: Tax Day is Thursday, April 15, 2027.
This season covers your 2026 tax return, and it comes with four new deductions, a refund hold that catches millions of early filers, and the end of paper refund checks. Here is what is confirmed, what is still a projection, and what to do before you file.
Opening day is a projection, not an announcement
The IRS has opened e-filing on the last Monday of January for three straight years: January 29, 2024, January 27, 2025, and January 26, 2026. The last Monday of January 2027 is January 25, which is why tax professionals project that date. The IRS usually confirms the opening day in early January — it announced the 2026 date on January 8, 2026, and the 2025 date on January 10, 2025.
Opening day is the first day the IRS starts accepting and processing individual returns. You can prepare your return earlier and your software will hold it, but the 21-day refund clock does not start until the IRS accepts it. Treat January 25 as the date to plan around, and check IRS.gov in early January for the official announcement.
The dates that are already set
Tax Day, Thursday, April 15, 2027, is the deadline to file your 2026 return and pay any tax you owe. If you need more time to file, you can request an extension until October 15, 2027 — but that extends the paperwork, not the payment. Interest and penalties still run on any tax unpaid after April 15.
Two dates land before the season even opens. Your fourth-quarter 2026 estimated tax payment is due January 15, 2027. And employers must send your W-2 by January 31 — but January 31, 2027, is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to Monday, February 1, 2027. Do not file with guessed wages while you wait: a W-2 mismatch is one of the most common reasons refunds get delayed for manual review.
When your refund actually arrives
For most people who e-file and choose direct deposit, the IRS sends the refund within 21 days of accepting the return. You can check the status on Where’s My Refund about 24 hours after e-filing. Paper returns take six weeks or more, and the wait stretches longer during the late-March and April rush.
There is one big exception. If your return claims the Earned Income Tax Credit or the refundable part of the Child Tax Credit, federal law — the PATH Act — bars the IRS from issuing any part of your refund before mid-February. The hold applies to the whole refund, not just the credit portion, so a $3,500 refund with $600 of Additional Child Tax Credit waits in full. The statutory floor is February 15, but February 15, 2027, is Presidents’ Day, a federal holiday, so the earliest effective release is Tuesday, February 16. Last season, the IRS showed projected deposit dates for most early EITC and ACTC filers by February 21 and had most of the money in bank accounts by March 2, 2026. Expect a similar pattern for 2027 — status updates around February 20 and deposits around March 1 — but those are estimates. The IRS sets new dates each season.
One more change for 2027: paper refund checks are gone. The Treasury stopped issuing them from September 30, 2025, so refunds now go by direct deposit. If the IRS has no bank details for you, or your bank rejects the deposit, your refund is frozen and the IRS mails a CP53E notice. About four million of those notices went out by late April 2026. Check your bank details before you file, not after.
Four new deductions on your 2026 return
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, created four deductions that apply to tax years 2025 through 2028. Your 2026 return, filed in 2027, is the second year you can claim them, on a new form called Schedule 1-A, whether or not you itemize.
No tax on tips lets workers in listed tipped occupations deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips. No tax on overtime covers only the premium — the extra half of time-and-a-half — up to $12,500, or $25,000 on a joint return. Your 2026 W-2 reports that amount in box 12 with code TT. No tax on car-loan interest covers up to $10,000 of interest on a loan for a new, US-assembled vehicle. And the senior deduction adds $6,000 per person aged 65 or older, on top of the regular standard deduction.
Two things people get wrong about these. First, they are deductions, not exclusions: tips and overtime still count for Social Security and Medicare tax. Second, they phase out — the tips and overtime deductions start shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint), and the senior deduction above $75,000 ($150,000 joint).
The rest of the 2026 numbers are already set. The standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. The Earned Income Tax Credit tops out at $8,231 and the Child Tax Credit at $2,200. For the full breakdown of brackets and the standard deduction, see our IRS 2026 tax brackets guide — and for the credits themselves, our EITC and Child Tax Credit explainer. Retirees should also note that Social Security benefits rose 3.6% for 2027 — see our COLA 2027 guide — for how that changes taxable income.
What to do now
Gather your documents as they arrive: W-2s and 1099s by February 1, plus any records of tips, overtime and car-loan interest for Schedule 1-A. Confirm the bank account on your return is current. If you claim the EITC or the Child Tax Credit, plan on the refund arriving in early March, not late January, whatever your software promises. And if you usually use IRS Free File, check back in January — the IRS has not published its 2027 Free File opening date yet.
FAQ
When does tax filing season 2027 start?
The IRS has not announced the opening day yet. Based on the last three seasons, it is projected for Monday, January 25, 2027. The IRS usually confirms the date in early January.
When is Tax Day 2027?
Thursday, April 15, 2027. That is the deadline to file your 2026 return and pay any tax owed. An extension gives you until October 15 to file, but not to pay.
When will I get my 2027 tax refund?
Most e-filed returns with direct deposit are refunded within 21 days of IRS acceptance. If you claim the EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit, the PATH Act holds your whole refund until mid-February, and most of those refunds arrive around the first week of March.
Do the new tips and overtime deductions make that income tax-free?
No. They are deductions with caps and income phase-outs, and they only reduce federal income tax. Social Security and Medicare tax still apply to tips and overtime pay.
What if my W-2 has not arrived by February 1, 2027?
Contact your employer first, then the IRS if it still does not come. Do not file with estimated wages — a mismatch with the employer’s filing can delay your refund.
Sources
- IRS newsroom, IR-2026-02 (2026 filing season announced Jan 8, 2026) and IR-2026-12 (2026 season opened Jan 26, 2026)
- IRS, When to File / Refunds (Where’s My Refund) pages, irs.gov
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 standard deduction $16,100 / $32,200)
- 26 U.S.C. §6402(m) (PATH Act refund hold, Feb 15 floor)
- IRS Schedule 1-A (Form 1040) guidance — One Big Beautiful Bill Act deductions, tax years 2025–2028
- IRS Publication 509, Tax Calendars (2027)