For U.S. federal income taxes for the 2025 tax year (the return you file in 2026), “taxes start” in late January 2026, and the main deadline to file is April 15, 2026.

Key 2026 tax dates (U.S.)

  • The IRS normally opens tax season in late January, when it begins accepting and processing individual federal returns; for recent years that has been in the last week of January, and current guidance for the 2026 season still describes an opening in “late January.”
  • Tax Day for most Americans in 2026 is Wednesday, April 15, 2026, which is the standard deadline to file your 2025 federal return and pay any balance due, unless you get an extension or qualify for a special postponement.

Why “start date” is a bit fuzzy

  • The exact calendar day the IRS starts accepting 2025 returns in 2026 has not been officially announced yet; the IRS typically issues a press release with the precise opening date in early January of the filing year.
  • There has been some public discussion about a possible later start—around mid‑February—for the 2026 filing season, but at this point it remains speculative, and the IRS has emphasized that no final decision has been announced.

What you can do now

  • Plan as if you’ll be able to e‑file sometime in late January 2026 and treat April 15, 2026 as your key “don’t miss it” deadline.
  • If you tend to need more time, remember you can file an extension request by April 15, 2026, which moves your filing deadline to around October 2026, though any taxes owed still must be paid by April 15 to avoid extra interest and penalties.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.