IRS offers tips to help taxpayers

NATION — The IRS will begin processing most individual income tax returns on January 30 after updating forms and completing programming and testing of its processing systems.

The IRS anticipated many of the tax law changes made by Congress under the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), but the final law requires some changes before the IRS can begin accepting tax returns.

After the IRS starts processing returns, on January 30, it expects to process refunds within the usual time frames. Last year, the IRS issued more than nine out of 10 refunds to taxpayers in less than 21 days, and it expects the same results in 2013.

Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, some tax returns will require additional review and take longer. To help protect against refund fraud, the IRS has put in place stronger security filters this filing season.

After taxpayers file a return, they can track the status of the refund with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool available on the IRS.gov website. New this year, instead of an estimated date, Where’s My Refund? will give people an actual personalized refund date after the IRS processes the tax return and approves the refund.

"Where's My Refund?" will be available for use after the IRS starts processing tax returns on January 30. Here are some tips for using "Where's My Refund?" after it's available on January 30:

• Initial information will generally be available within 24 hours after the IRS receives the taxpayer’s e-filed return or four weeks after mailing a paper return.

• The system updates every 24 hours, usually overnight. There’s no need to check more than once a day.

• “Where’s My Refund?” provides the most accurate and complete information that the IRS has about the refund, so there is no need to call the IRS unless the web tool says to do so.

• To use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, taxpayers need to have a copy of their tax return for reference. Taxpayers will need their social security number, filing status and the exact dollar amount of the refund they are expecting.

For the latest information about the January 30 tax season opening, tax law changes and tax refunds, visit IRS.gov.