FILING SEASON DELAYED FOR SOME TAXPAYERS

The IRS announced that the upcoming tax season will be delayed for certain taxpayers.

The 2011 filing season will begin in January as usual for the majority of taxpayers, but changes due to the 2010 Tax Relief Act mean that the IRS must reprogram its processing systems for provisions that were extended by the Act.

The delay affects both paper-filed and e-filed tax returns that include:

• Form 1040 Schedule A, Itemized Deductions
• Educator expense deductions on Form 1040, line 23, or Form 1040A, line 16
• Form 8917, Tuition and Fees Deduction
• Casualties and thefts claimed on Form 4684
• Form 8859, District of Columbia First-Time Homebuyer Credit

A few other taxpayers will also have to wait to file, due to the impact of other recent changes, primarily those included in the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. Affected will be returns that include:

• Form 3800, General Business Credit
• Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit
• Form 6478, Alcohol and Cellulosic Biofuel Fuels Credit
• Form 8834, Qualified Plug-In Electric and Electric Vehicle Credit
• Form 8910, Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit
• Form 8936, Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit

Affected taxpayers must wait until the tax processing systems are ready—which the IRS estimates will be in mid- to late February—before filing their tax returns.