When Does Tax Season Start in 2027? What the IRS Has Said About Opening Day

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not announced when the 2027 filing season opens, as of Oct. 31, 2026. Last year’s season opened Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, according to IRS news release IR-2026-12, and Tax Day 2027 is Thursday, April 15, 2027. This page sets the last two opening days side by side, shows what that pattern does not promise, and ends with a printable checklist.

What has the IRS announced about the 2027 filing season?

Nothing yet. The IRS has not named the opening day of the filing season or the start of IRS Free File, so any specific January 2027 date you see for the start of tax season is a guess.

Opening days of the last two filing seasons

The IRS announced the 2026 season in release IR-2026-02 on Jan. 8, 2026, and opened it with IR-2026-12 on Jan. 26. The 2025 season was announced in IR-2025-08 on Jan. 10, 2025, and opened Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.

Season	Announced	Opened	Days from announcement to opening	Days from opening to Tax Day
2026	Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026	Monday, Jan. 26, 2026	18	79 (Tax Day was Wednesday, April 15, 2026)
2025	Friday, Jan. 10, 2025	Monday, Jan. 27, 2025	17	Not in our sources

Both announcements came in January, 18 and 17 days before the season opened. That is a pattern. It is not a rule the IRS has published, and it does not tell you the 2027 date, which the agency will set and announce on its own schedule. The days columns are our own arithmetic from the IRS dates.

When did IRS Free File open last year?

IRS Free File opened Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, according to IR-2026-02, which was 17 days before the 2026 filing season opened. The IRS has not said when Free File will open for 2027.

What is Tax Day 2027?

Tax Day 2027 is Thursday, April 15, 2027, the due date for 2026 federal returns. Our tax deadline 2027 story lists every 2027 IRS due date with a countdown. Employers and payers send W-2 and 1099 forms by Monday, Feb. 1, 2027, per that story.

How long does a refund take after you e-file?

The IRS refunds page, updated Oct. 16, 2026, says an e-filed return takes 3 weeks from the date you e-filed. Our refund schedule story covers when to expect yours. For the figures that change with the new year, see the 2027 tax brackets and retirement limits story.

Printable 2027 tax season checklist

The printable lists the four dates to mark: the W-2 and 1099 due date, blanks for the Free File and filing season opening days, and Tax Day. Fill in the blanks later. To plan around the dates, use the January printable calendars and April printable calendars, or the printable yearly calendar.