In most years, the tax season will begin sometime in late January. The start of the tax season is defined by the date the IRS officially starts accepting tax returns.

During the last few years, the tax season hasn’t started until February, as a result of new tax laws passed by Congress. As of this writing, you should expect the tax season to start in late January as the number of changes passed have been minimal. However, that could still change.

The main point you need to know about is that if you’re claiming either the Child Tax Credit (ACTC) or the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), your refund will still be delayed until at least February 15^th.

The IRS is required to do this by law. Congress has directed the IRS to perform additional checks on claims for these two credits, as they are the credits that are most commonly claimed incorrectly.

Claiming these credits will only delay your tax refund schedule dates. It doesn’t increase your chances of getting audited.es