Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

The cost of tax season is getting higher

Mar 15, 2024
Tax preparation costs are sharply higher this year as the demand for preparers has risen. Software prices have also increased.
A shortage of accountants means that tax preparers still doing the job can charge more, especially at the height of tax season.
agshotime/Getty Images

Tax refunds are smaller this year — and fewer people are getting them

May 12, 2023
Blame the termination of benefits that came with pandemic emergency measures.
The average refund amount is down more than 7% from last year so far, according to the IRS.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Could return-free tax filing actually be on the horizon?

The idea has been thrown around for a while now, but new IRS funding may help it become a reality.
Return-free filing has been adopted in many other countries, and there's growing pressure in the U.S. to adopt a similar system.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Expect a messy tax season after last year's delays

Jan 17, 2022
Some 6 million returns from last year have yet to be processed. Delays could snowball for seasons to come.
File your taxes early, experts advise. Delays in moving last year's returns through the system could stall processing this year.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images

Your tax refund may take a bit longer this year

May 17, 2021
Taxes got extra complicated in 2020, and the IRS has a backlog of 30 million returns that need a manual review.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Pre-filled tax forms would save Americans time and money, research says

"Return free filing" is something 36 countries already do.
Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Supreme Court rules Manhattan DA can obtain Trump's tax records, pushes back on congressional subpoena

Jul 9, 2020
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a prosecutor’s demand for President Donald Trump’s tax returns as part of a criminal investigation.
The financial records are held by Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, which has said it would comply with a court order.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

July 15 is Tax Day. And the IRS isn't pushing it back any further.

Except for one or two exceptions: Victims of severe weather in parts of the South this past April will have until Oct. 15.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Why the IRS has received 2 million fewer tax returns this year

Mar 13, 2019
Word of smaller refunds may have had a chilling effect on filing.
People are afraid to file their taxes — and accountants are moving slower.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Tax season expected to be full of unknowns

Jan 28, 2019
The IRS started processing taxes on Monday, the first full work day for IRS workers after a temporary measure halted the government shutdown.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service building is seen on the first work day for furloughed federal workers following a 35-day partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2019.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images