Date to start filing season not set despite IRS commissioner’s comment

Although Commissioner Billy Long said last week that the next tax filing season will open in mid-February, the IRS said Tuesday that an official start date has not been set.

When Long spoke July 28 during a question-and-answer session at the 2025 Tax Summit of the National Association of Enrolled Agents in Salt Lake City, he said the 2026 filing season should start around Presidents Day, which is Feb. 16 next year.

That mid-February start date is later than recent years, when filing season opened in late January or early February.

Long said he pushed for an earlier date but said that IRS staff wanted more preparation time. He was told staff would “need every day in there. But they have this thing down.”

But in an email sent Tuesday, the IRS indicated that it has not determined when the filing season will open.

“The IRS looks forward to another successful tax filing season next year, and we will announce the timing of its opening in the regular course,” the IRS said in the statement.

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Martha Waggoner at Martha.Waggoner@aicpa-cima.com.