IRS announces little-known trick to get your 2026 tax returns accepted early

A new year brings a new tax filing season. With many cash-strapped Americans worried about their finances, many can’t wait to file their returns. The sooner you file, the sooner your chances of getting your refund, after all.

But just when can you begin submitting your tax return to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? That depends. Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 tax filing season.

When does the 2026 tax filing season begin?

There are actually two start dates to the 2026 tax filing season this year. The 2026 tax filing season refers to the period taxpayers have to file their tax returns for the 2025 calendar year.

According to an IRS press release on Thursday, the official day of the 2026 tax filing season begins on Monday, January 26, 2026. From this day, anyone who is required to file a federal tax return can do so.

But January 26 isn’t the earliest date some people can begin submitting their tax returns to the IRS.

As the IRS noted in its Thursday release, the agency will actually begin to accept tax returns from a select group of taxpayers starting today, Friday, January 9, 2026.

Who can submit their tax returns beginning on January 9?

Not every taxpayer can submit their returns beginning on January 9. According to the IRS, this submission start date is only open to “qualified taxpayers.”

So, who is a qualified taxpayer? The IRS says a person meets that designation if they are in a select group of people who use the IRS Free File program to submit their taxes.

Per the IRS’s Thursday notice: “The IRS Free File program will begin accepting individual tax returns starting Friday, Jan. 9 for qualified taxpayers. Taxpayers comfortable preparing their own taxes can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms starting Jan. 26, regardless of income.”

What this means is not everyone who uses the IRS Free File program can submit their tax returns starting today—only select individuals.

Those IRS Free File users who can begin submitting their tax returns today are limited to those individuals who need to report $89,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI) or less, according to the IRS’s Free File information page.

Taxpayers who use Free File’s online forms and who make more than $89,000 in adjusted gross income will need to wait until January 26 to submit their tax returns, just like everyone else.

Will eligible taxpayers who submit via Free File before January 26 get their tax refunds faster?

That’s unknown, as every individual’s tax situation is different. In the IRS’s notice, it states that the agency will begin “accepting” tax returns from eligible individuals on January 9. It does not say it will begin “processing” the returns then.

What this means is that even if you are eligible to submit your tax return before January 26, it can’t be guaranteed that the IRS will actually begin processing your return before January 26. 

Still, it’s reasonable to assume that if you want to get your tax refund as soon as possible, you should file your tax return on the earliest date you can.

The IRS says individuals have until Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to file their taxes for the 2025 tax year and pay any taxes owed.