Taxpayers who want to take advantage of the Internal Revenue Service’s free tax preparation e-filing program won’t have to wait. The Free File program opens to taxpayers on Jan. 17, two weeks before the IRS starts processing 2013 tax returns.

The IRS will not start processing any tax returns until Jan. 31. The government shutdown in October 2013 slowed IRS updates of forms and tests of its computer systems, leading officials to push the official opening of this year’s filing season to the end of the month.

But that doesn’t mean taxpayers have to sit around. Free File companies will hold taxpayers’ completed tax returns and then submit them on Jan. 31.

The early opening of Free File is good news for millions of eligible taxpayers. They are among the group of electronic filers, which increases every year, primarily because they can get their refunds more quickly.

And for the 2014 filing season, a few more taxpayers should be able to use the Free File option. The income eligibility limit has been increased to $58,000. That’s $1,000 more than last year.

Free File 2014 basics

• You can file your 2013 tax return through Free File if your adjusted gross income is $58,000 or less.
• The income cutoff applies regardless of your filing status.
• Free File is for individual, not business, tax returns. However, a sole proprietor who files Schedule C with Form 1040 can use Free File.
• Some participating Free File vendors also offer free state tax return preparation and e-file.
• Some Free File companies offer free electronic extensions. But remember, you still must pay any taxes due by the April 15 deadline or you’ll be charged interest and possibly penalties on any tax you owe.
• You do not download anything. All of the software, which is encrypted to protect privacy, remains at the Free File company website you select, and your return is filed from there.
• Access Free File by going to IRS.gov and clicking on the Free File icon. Beware of offers by outside websites to take you to the Free File website, as they could be scams operated by identity thieves.

The Free File program is a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a group of tax preparation software manufacturers. Fourteen companies are expected to participate in the program this filing season.

“All the (2014 filing season tax software companies) have done it before. We have experienced providers within the commercial world and the Free File world,” says Tim Hugo, executive director of the Clifton, Va.-based Free File Alliance.

Free File was created in 2003 as a way to get more people to e-file. Its target is taxpayers who might otherwise not e-file because they don’t want or can’t afford to pay the cost of the computer filing programs or professional tax help.

Who qualifies?

The key qualification for Free File services is income. This year, taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $58,000 or less, regardless of filing status, can use the online program.

Participating tax software companies can establish other eligibility requirements. Some may limit usage of their programs based on geographic location, military service or other criteria.

To determine which software best fits your filing needs, the Free File website includes an online search tool to help you select one of the participating Free File companies.

Free File contributions to e-filing

In 2013, almost 144 million tax returns were filed electronically, according to IRS data complete through May 2013. That represents a nearly 2% increase in e-filed returns over the previous year. The sector that showed the most growth last year, according to IRS statistics, was tax returns prepared and filed by taxpayers on their own.

Around 3 million of those self-prepared returns e-filed last year came through Free File, says Hugo. That number has held steady for the past few years.

Three million of those returns e-filed last year came through Free File, says Tim Hugo, executive director of the Clifton, Va.-based Free File Alliance.

“We would love to have more,” says Hugo, but he points to the program’s overall contribution to e-filing. Since its inception, says Hugo, Free File has accounted for the submission of more than 40 million federal returns.

“We get people in the door for e-filing, people who’ve never e-filed before,” says Hugo. “They may go to a commercial product later on, but they will continue to e-file. We are very pleased with that.”

Hugo says the program also has evolved to meet taxpayer needs. “We look at Free File as a three-legged stool,” he says. “There is the traditional Free File, fillable forms and VITA providing services to every income.”

Working with VITA

The filing needs of lower-income taxpayers are addressed through Free File’s continuing partnership with the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, popularly known as VITA.

VITA tax-filing clinics are set up each year in public places — from libraries to community centers to shopping malls. Its volunteers provide free filing assistance to low- and moderate-income taxpayers who might not be able to afford tax software or professional filing help. This filing season, the services of IRS-certified VITA volunteers are available to people who make $52,000 or less.

Hugo says Free File is again placing kiosks, similar to self-checkout stations in retail stores, at VITA sites nationwide.

“You can do your return there or partially do your return and, if you need help, ask a VITA volunteer,” says Hugo. “This helps some of those who are most in need of tax help.”

The IRS has an online search tool to help taxpayers locate a nearby VITA site. Taxpayers also can call (800) 906-9887 for VITA locations.

Free fillable forms remain

The IRS says that Free File is available to 70% of taxpayers. But if you are among the 30%  making too much money to use the service, you still can file for free using the tax agency’s fillable federal return form option.

Here, online versions of the most commonly used IRS tax forms are available through the Free File page. You fill them out on your computer and then e-file the documents at no charge.

Just don’t mistake the forms for tax software.

The fillable forms offer only basic calculations of what’s entered on the form. And you must figure out what goes on the form without the online prompting found in software.

Also, the information is not automatically transferred to associated forms. That means you must, for example, manually enter your itemized deductions total from Schedule A to the appropriate line on Form 1040.

Still, taxpayers with relatively simple filing needs who don’t want to buy tax software might find fillable forms a welcome alternative.

Note, however, that you’ll have to wait a bit longer to use the free fillable forms option. They won’t be available until Jan. 31, the same day that the IRS opens its filing doors to all taxpayers.

2014 Tax Brackets, Exemption Amounts Likely To Save Tax Dollars

Inflation often makes consumers worry. Nobody wants prices to go up – and that tends to be our gut reaction when we hear about inflation. But sometimes, a little inflation can be a good thing (no, I’m not channeling Janet Yellen).

When it comes to taxes, the Tax Code provides for mandatory annual adjustments to certain tax items based on inflation. And, according to CCH, part of Wolters Kluwer and a leading global provider of tax, accounting and audit information, software and services, that’s going to result in savings – albeit modest – for most taxpayers. George Jones, a Senior Federal Tax Analyst at CCH, explains:

Most taxpayers benefit from inflation adjustments since the adjustments tend to preserve the value of most, but not all, of the dollar-based benefits under the Tax Code year after year.

Of those tax items subject to mandatory annual adjustments, federal income tax brackets tend to get the most attention. They have been subject to adjustment for nearly 30 years. However, it certainly didn’t stop there: inflation adjustments are now routinely included in new tax legislation. Which tax items are subject to adjustment – and how much – can be confusing for taxpayers. Luckily, there are tax professionals out there who can sort it all out for you.

Leading the pack, this week, Wolters Kluwer, CCH released estimates for the 2014 tax brackets and other tax items affected by inflation, such as the personal exemption and the standard deduction. Their predictions indicate that most taxpayers will end up with a few more dollars in their pockets.

With respect to the adjusted tax rates, here’s how the savings might shake out: a married couple filing jointly with a total taxable income of $100,000 should pay $145 less income taxes in 2014 than in 2013 and a single filer with taxable income of $50,000 should owe $72.50 less next year.

Estimated 2014 Tax Brackets, Courtesy of Wolters Kluwer, CCH

It gets better. Standard deduction and personal exemption amounts will be slightly higher in 2014, as will income ceilings for tax benefits such as education credits, individual retirement account (IRA) contributions and more.

The standard deduction for single taxpayers, heads of households and married couples filing jointly will all show increases for 2014, by $100, $150 and $200, respectively. The standard deduction for joint filers, for example, would rise from $12,200 to $12,400 in 2014. What this means for taxpayers is lower taxes: increases in the standard deduction decrease taxable income which means lower taxes.

The additional standard deduction for those age 65 or older or who are blind will stay at $1,200 level for 2014 for married individuals and surviving spouses but will increase to $1,550 for single aged 65 or older or blind filers.

2014 Standard Deduction Estimates, courtesy of Wolters Kluwer, CCH

The personal exemption amount gets bumped up by inflation by $50, to $3,950 in 2014 after having increased $100 between 2012 and 2013. The personal exemption phaseout (PEP) still applies: the 2014 phase out range for personal exemptions begins at $305,050 for joint filers and $254,200 for single filers. The same income ranges apply to the phase-out of itemized deductions; those limitations are called Pease limitations, named after former Rep. Don Pease (D-OH).

The PEP and Pease limits were slated to be reduced beginning in 2006 and eliminated in 2010; as with the other tax cuts, the elimination was extended through the end of 2012. The limitations were brought back in 2013 at the original thresholds, indexed for inflation. The result of those changes is basically an increase in the top marginal tax rates.

And it’s not just income tax that will see changes: the federal gift tax annual exclusion – how much a donor can gift to any number of persons in one year without being subject to federal gift tax – will remain at $14,000. In contrast, the estate and gift tax applicable exemption – the amount that you can give away during your lifetime or bequest at your death without being subject to federal estate tax – will rise from $5,250,000 in 2013 to $5,340,000 for 2014. With the new portability provisions, the federal estate-tax exclusion can be shared between a husband and wife, making the total that can pass with no federal estate and gift tax payable effectively $10,680,000 for 2014.

And this year, there’s a new kid in town when it comes to inflation: the alternative minimum tax (AMT). In years past, the AMT was subject to a last minute scramble by Congress to “patch” the exemption. This year, things are different. As part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), signed into law on January 2, 2013, the AMT will be permanently adjusted for inflation. This was such a big deal that, when I reported it in January, I put it in red. Before this year, Congress hadn’t touched the AMT, other than to patch it, in more than 40 years.

For 2014, Wolters Kluwer, CCH projects that the AMT exemption for married joint filers and surviving spouses will be adjusted upward to $82,100, up from $80,800 in 2013. For unmarried single filers, the 2014 exemption will be $52,800, up from $51,900 in 2013; and for heads of household, the exemption will increase to $52,800, up from $51,900 in 2013.

Not all tax items will be affected. “Rounding conventions” will keep some tax item for 2014 the same as in 2013. This includes the $5,500 limit on IRA contributions. Also staying put? The amount of unearned income a child can take home without paying tax remains at $1,000: after that, kids are subject to the kiddie tax.

Wolters Kluwer, CCH’s projections are based on the data released by the Department of Labor on September 17, 2013, by the U.S. Department of Labor. Most adjustments are based on Consumer Price Index for September through August prior to the adjusted year; some inflation-adjusted figures are computed at other times.

The IRS usually releases official numbers by December each year; sometimes, it’s as late as January. You can see the 2013 numbers here. It’s worth noting that these Wolters Kluwer, CCH tax bracket projections are for illustrative purposes only and should not be used for income tax returns or other federal income tax related purposes until confirmed by the IRS.

2014 IRS Refund Cycle Chart and e-file payment information.

This is a schedule for 2014 IRS Refund Cycle Chart. Direct Deposit and Check date’s below. Please see disclaimer. 2014 tax refund schedule is listed below for information purposes. This is just for the first week. Find out when you’re state income tax refund will be in. Please consider donating $1 to $5 to us for help with cost of running the site. Thank you.

Please note that due to heavy volumes on the opening week of tax season, several direct deposits may be pushed to the second week of payouts. 

2012 IRS e-file cycle chart and payment information.

Direct Deposit and Check date’s below. Please see disclaimer.