TOPEKA (KSNT) – It’s officially tax filing season, but this year looks a little different than last year. There are some major post-pandemic changes that will go into effect for the 2023 tax season.
James Sparks, an accountant at Sparks Tax & Accounting in southwest Topeka, has a hunch that things will return to normal this year. Here are his three reasons:
First: There are no federal stimulus checks distributed in 2023.
Second: Child Tax Credit is back to its pre-COVID value of $2,000. It was previously raised to $3,600 for children under 6 and $3,000 for children over 6 in 2021 and 2022.
Third: The IRS has hired more employees to assist taxpayers over the phone. The aim is to avoid the delays that have occurred over the past two years.
“Delays have been coming since last year, just because they [the IRS] they were so far behind from the COVID year,” Sparks said. “They had laid off employees, people who worked from home, who weren’t able to process returns. point where they are hopefully reached where we can start running a little smoother.
Sparks said there are a few tips to remember to keep things running smoothly this tax season. He said it’s important to call your advisor regularly, making sure you’ve gathered all the required tax documents before attempting to file your taxes, and have them filed well before the due date.
The deadline to file is April 18 this year rather than the typical April 15 because Emancipation Day falls on April 17.
