Steps you can take now to make tax filing easier in 2024

Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier. It helps you avoid errors that lead to processing delays that slow your refund and may also help you find overlooked deductions or credits.

  • Wait to file until you have your tax records including:

    • Forms W-2 from your employer(s)

    • Forms 1099 from banks, issuing agencies and other payers including unemployment compensation, dividends, pension, annuity or retirement plan distributions

    • Form 1099-K, 1099-NEC, W-2 or other income statement if you worked in the gig economy

    • Form 1099-INT if you were paid interest

    • Other income documents and records of digital asset transactions

    • Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, to reconcile advance payments or claims Premium Tax Credits for 2023 Marketplace coverage

    • IRS or other agency letters

    • CP01A Notice with your new Identity Protection PIN

2023 Changes that may affect your tax refund

Changes in the number of dependents, employment or self-employment income and divorce, among other factors, may affect your tax-filing status and refund for 2024.

Some tax credits return to 2019 levels. This means that taxpayers will likely receive a significantly smaller refund compared with the previous tax year. Changes include amounts for the Child Tax Credit (CTC), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child and Dependent Care Credit will revert to pre-COVID levels.

  • Those who got $3,600 per dependent in 2021 for the CTC will, if eligible, get $2,000 for the 2023 tax year.

  • For the EITC, eligible taxpayers with no children who received roughly $1,500 in 2021 will now get $600 for the 2023 tax year.

Avoid refund delays and understand refund timing

Many different factors can affect the timing of your refund after we receive your return. Although the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, the IRS cautions taxpayers not to rely on receiving a refund by a certain date, especially when making major purchases or paying bills.

Identity Theft and refund fraud. Some returns may require additional review and may take longer. The IRS, along with its partners in the tax industry, continue to strengthen security reviews to help protect against identity theft and refund fraud.

IRS cannot issue EITC and ACTC refunds before mid-February. Refunds for people claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) can't be issued before mid-February. The law requires the IRS to hold the entire refund − even the portion not associated with EITC or ACTC.

Returns requiring manual review. Some returns, filed electronically or on paper, may need manual review delaying the processing if our systems detect a possible error, the return is missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. Some of these situations require us to correspond with taxpayers, but some do not. This work does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it may take the IRS more than the normal 21 days to issue any related refund. In those cases where IRS is able to correct the return without corresponding, the IRS will send an explanation to the taxpayer.