Tax season: How to avoid scams and how the IRS is making filing easier with new tools

Income tax season has begun.

Individuals are expected to file more than 160 million federal returns for tax year 2024. Most will come in by the regular April 15 deadline, with automatic extensions to Oct. 15 available to people who submit a Form 4868 to the IRS by April 15.

The IRS said this filing season will feature service upgrades and modernization efforts, along with new filing options and other tools, thanks to a $79 billion funding increase from Congress over 10 years. The improvements include more access to tax account information from text and voice virtual assistants, more access to dozens of tax forms through cellphones and tablets, and expanded scam alerts.

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