General information for the 2022 tax season

April 18 tax deadline: The filing deadline is April 18 for most taxpayers. There are currently no plans to extend the filing deadline. For those who need more time to file, an automatic six-month extension of time to file is available for anyone by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. The Around the Nation section on IRS.gov provides information about recent tax relief including postponing certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area.

Advance Child Tax Credit payments: People who received advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021 need to ensure the amounts they’ve received are entered correctly on the 2021 tax return. Incorrect entries when reporting these payments mean the IRS will need to further review the tax return, creating an extensive delay. People can check the amount of their payments in their Online Account available on IRS.gov. The IRS also mailed letters to recipients about the advance Child Tax Credit payment amount. However, a limited group of taxpayers may receive a letter with the incorrect amount listed. More information about who might have received an incorrect letter can be found on our IRS Statement — Child Tax Credit Letters page.

Recovery Rebate Credit (also called stimulus payments or Economic Impact Payments):  All third-round Economic Impact Payments have been issued. People may claim any remaining stimulus payment they’re entitled to on their 2021 tax return as part of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit. People who are filing to get any remaining payment should ensure the amounts they’ve received are entered correctly on the tax return. Incorrect entries when reporting these payments mean the IRS will need to further review the tax return, creating an extensive delay. The IRS is mailing letters to payment recipients about the stimulus payments amounts they received. People can also check the amount of their payments in their Online Account available on IRS.gov.

Filing if your 2020 tax return is still being processed: For people whose tax returns from 2020 have not yet been processed, they should still file their 2021 tax returns. Those filing electronically in this group need their Adjusted Gross Income, or AGI, from their most recent tax return when they file electronically. For those waiting on their 2020 tax return to be processed, make sure to enter $0 (zero dollars) for last year’s AGI on the 2021 tax return. Visit Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return for more details.

Status of IRS tax return inventory from prior years: COVID-19 continues to cause delays in the processing of some prior year tax returns and amended returns. Please visit our IRS Operations During COVID-19: Mission-critical functions continue page to find out the current status of the IRS inventory from prior years.

Form 1099-INT: Taxpayers should report interest from unemployment refunds, other IRS payments as 2021 income. The IRS reminded taxpayers who received an interest payment for a tax-related issue in 2021 need to report it as income on their tax return.

Under the law, interest income is taxable, and that includes payments from the IRS. During 2021, several groups of people could fall into this category. This includes people who received interest payments related to IRS refunds of taxes paid on unemployment income or people who received interest on a tax refund. Normally, the IRS is required to pay interest on a refund if the refund is issued after a statutory 45-day period.

The IRS is sending a Form 1099-INT to anyone who receives interest totaling at least $10. The IRS reminds people to watch their mail for Forms 1099, not just from the IRS and other payers. Due to IRS mailing issues and other factors, taxpayers may continue to see these arrive in the mail through February.