Tax Season in Midland: When to Come In

Every year the office on Andrews Highway follows the same rhythm. A quiet January, a rush in early February when the first refunds go out, a lull in March, and a wall of people in the last two weeks before the April deadline. If you understand that rhythm you can pick the week that suits you, get in and out quickly, and avoid the mistakes that come from filing before your documents have arrived. Here is the season as we see it.

January: documents arrive, the IRS opens

Employers and payers have until January 31 to send W-2s and most 1099s. The IRS usually begins accepting returns in the second half of January. A return prepared before your forms arrive is a return prepared from memory, and it gets amended later when the numbers turn out different. Use January to gather: last year's return, ID and Social Security cards for everyone on the return, bank details for direct deposit, and receipts for anything you plan to deduct. If you want a head start, the client portal accepts documents as they come in.

February: the early rush

The first two weeks of February are the busiest of the whole year for us, because the people expecting the largest refunds file the moment their W-2 arrives. If you claim the Earned Income Credit or the refundable child credit, know that federal law holds those refunds until mid-February regardless of when you file. Filing on February 1 and filing on February 12 produce the refund on roughly the same day. Come the second or third week, or file through the portal, and you skip the line without losing anything.

March: the best month to file

• Every form has arrived, including the late ones: brokerage 1099s, corrected W-2s, K-1s from partnerships.
• The office is calm, so a complicated return gets the time it needs.
• There is still a month before the deadline to fix anything unexpected, such as a missing ITIN renewal or a dependent dispute.
• If you owe, you learn the number in March and have until the April deadline to pay it. Filing early does not mean paying early.

April: the wall

The last ten days before the deadline are the second rush, and it is a harder one, because the people in it are often the ones with the most complicated returns: self-employed, multiple states, a business with a box of receipts. If that is you and it is already April, come in anyway. If the return cannot be finished properly in time, we file an extension, which moves the filing deadline to October. An extension does not extend the time to pay, so we estimate what you owe and pay it with the extension.

Who should file early, and who should wait

1. 01File early if your return is simple: one or two W-2s, no business, no investments. There is nothing to wait for once the forms arrive.
2. 02File early if you have been a victim of identity theft before. Filing first blocks a fraudulent return in your name.
3. 03Wait for March if you have investment accounts, a partnership K-1, or a corrected form on the way.
4. 04Wait if you are applying for or renewing an ITIN with the return; the documentation takes time to assemble.
5. 05Business owners: bring the books in February so the personal return can be finished in March.

Frequently asked questions

See you this season

We are at 700 C Andrews Hwy in Midland and we work in English and Spanish. Call (432) 257-7547 with any question, or just come by.