Ask the Editor, January 9: How to Get Ready for Tax Filing Season
In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, Joy Taylor answers four questions on the IRS tax filing season and your 2025 tax return
Each week, in our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week she's looking at four questions on the IRS tax filing season and your 2025 tax return. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Tax Letter or subscribe.)
1. When can I file my 2025 tax return?
Question: When does IRS plan to open the 2026 tax filing season?
Joy Taylor: The IRS just announced that it will open the 2026 filing season on January 26. That's about a week later than some other years, likely because of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB), which lawmakers passed last July.
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The OBBB contains over 100 tax sections, with many of the changes taking effect on 2025 tax returns and others on 2026 tax returns. The IRS had a lot on its plate to implement the OBBB. It had to revise forms, instructions and publications, and the IRS's IT people needed to reprogram computer systems to account for all of these changes. The agency also released lots of guidance to implement many of the new tax changes. As of the date of this column, the IRS has released the final version of the 2025 Form 1040, but the instructions are still in draft form.
Last July, then-IRS Commissioner Billy Long said that the IRS was aiming to start the 2026 filing season around President's Day, which is about four weeks later than normal. The last time the filing season began in February was 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, for taxpayers and the IRS, the agency didn't have to delay this year's filing season. Instead, the IRS will begin accepting 2025 tax returns on January 26.
2. How do I claim the $6,000 senior deduction?
Question: My wife and I are over age 65. I prepare our tax return each year. Where do I claim the new $6,000 senior deduction on the 2025 Form 1040?
Joy Taylor: There is now a new senior tax deduction of $6,000 per filer age 65 and older. Married couples with both spouses 65 and older can deduct $12,000 on a joint return. This deduction is available to taxpayers who claim the standard deduction and to those who itemize on Schedule A of the Form 1040. This deduction is temporary, first taking effect on 2025 tax returns filed this year, and ending after 2028.
Not every senior will qualify. The deduction begins to phase out at modified adjusted gross incomes (or modified AGIs) above $150,000 on joint returns and $75,000 on single and head-of-household returns. The deduction is fully phased out once modified AGI reaches $175,000 for single and head-of-household filers and $250,000 for joint filers. Also, each eligible spouse must have a Social Security number to claim this write-off.
Modified AGI for this purpose is AGI plus any foreign earned income exclusion, foreign housing exclusion, and certain income excluded from gross income because it was received from sources in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The IRS has released new Schedule 1-A for filers to claim the $6,000 senior deduction, as well as the up-to-$25,000 qualified tips deduction, the write-off for up to $12,500 of qualified overtime pay ($25,000 for joint filers), and the deduction for up to $10,000 of interest paid on loans to buy a new automobile.
To claim the senior deduction, you would fill out Part I of Schedule 1-A to calculate your modified AGI, and then complete Parts V and VI. You would then transfer the amount on line 38 of Schedule 1-A to line 13b of the 2025 Form 1040.
3. Will IRS send me a paper check for my tax refund?
Question: In past years when I filed my federal tax return, I always asked that the IRS send me my refund in the form of a paper check. I have a bank account, but I don't want to give the IRS my account information. I heard that the IRS is no longer issuing paper checks for tax refunds. Is that correct?
Joy Taylor: The IRS is phasing out paper refund checks to individuals to comply with an executive order from the White House. Tax refunds for individuals will generally be paid by direct deposit or some other electronic method.
According to the IRS's National Taxpayer Advocate, taxpayers who don’t provide bank account details or request an exemption will face delayed refunds. The IRS will send a letter to these filers, requesting the bank account information and providing directions on how to request an exemption from the rules. Taxpayers who receive the letter and don’t comply will see their refunds delayed for six weeks or more.
The IRS is encouraging people without bank accounts to open one as soon as possible.
4. Can I send a paper check if I owe taxes?
Question: If I owe taxes when I file my 2025 Form 1040, can I mail a paper check or do I have to give the IRS my bank information?
Joy Taylor: It appears that you can continue to pay your taxes with a paper check, for now. Although the IRS is urging filers to use alternative methods to pay their taxes, such as electronic payments and debit or credit cards, the IRS will still accept paper checks sent in the mail for tax payments.
About Ask the Editor, Tax Edition
Subscribers of The Kiplinger Tax Letter, The Kiplinger Letter and The Kiplinger Retirement Report can ask Joy questions about tax topics. You'll find full details of how to submit questions in each publication. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Tax Letter, The Kiplinger Letter or The Kiplinger Retirement Report.
We have already received many questions from readers on topics related to tax changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill, retirement accounts and more. We will continue to answer these in future Ask the Editor roundups. So keep those questions coming!
Not all questions submitted will be published, and some may be condensed and/or combined with other similar questions and answers, as required editorially. The answers provided by our editors and experts, in this Q&A series, are for general informational purposes only. While we take reasonable precautions to ensure we provide accurate answers to your questions, this information does not and is not intended to, constitute independent financial, legal, or tax advice. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based on any information provided in this feature. You should consult with a financial or tax advisor regarding any questions you may have in relation to the matters discussed in this article.
More Reader Questions Answered
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- Ask the Editor: Questions on the $6,000 Senior Deduction
- Ask the Editor: Tax Questions on Roth IRA Conversions
- Ask the Editor: Questions on SALT Deduction
- Ask the Editor: QCDs and Tax Planning
- Ask the Editor: Questions on Inherited IRAs
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