How to File Taxes: A 2026 Tax Filing Guide

Whether you're a first-time filer or just need help learning how to file taxes on your own, here's a quick guide that covers how, when and where to file your return.

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Updated Jan 26, 2026

Even for the most confident first-time filers, doing your taxes can feel daunting. You might be wondering which way is best: Should you file on your own, use DIY software or pay a visit to a tax pro? And before that, you might even be questioning whether you have to file a tax return to begin with. (Spoiler alert: most of us do.)

Regardless of where you are in the process, we have a six-step cheat sheet on how to do your taxes and how to make tax filing easier.

1. Determine if you need to file taxes

Whether you have to file a tax return depends on your income, tax filing status, age and other factors. It also depends on whether someone else can claim you as a tax dependent.

Even if you don’t have to file a tax return, there’s a good reason you might consider doing so anyway: You may qualify for a tax break that could generate a refund. Lower-income taxpayers, for example, may want to look into a refundable credit called the earned income tax credit, and people with dependents below the age of 17 might be able to snag the partially refundable child tax credit.

Give tax filing some serious consideration if:

You qualify for certain tax credits.
Income tax was withheld from your paychecks.
You made estimated tax payments or had your 2024 refund applied to your 2025 estimated tax.

» MORE: How much do you have to make to file taxes?

2. Take note of tax deadlines and dates

A big part of doing your taxes is knowing when things are due. For most of us, April 15 is the deadline for filing a federal income tax return, but there are several other dates to keep in mind as well.

Do you file 2025 taxes in 2026?

Yes. The purpose of the 2026 tax filing season is to file taxes for the 2025 tax year.

When can I start filing my taxes in 2026?

The IRS opened for business on Jan. 26. This is when the agency began accepting and processing tax returns.

What's the tax deadline?

The tax filing deadline is April 15, 2026. If you request an extension by Tax Day, your due date is pushed to Oct. 15, 2026. Tax extensions give you more time to file your return, not pay your taxes. Even with a tax extension, your tax bill is still due April 15. Keep in mind that you may have had to file a state tax return, too. That deadline is likely the same as the federal one, but there are exceptions.

What happens if you don't file your taxes?

If you owe taxes and don't file, there will be consequences in the form of fees and penalties. The IRS levies a failure-to-file penalty, as well as a late-payment penalty — and it charges interest. If you're due a refund, you won't necessarily get penalized, but you still must file if you have an obligation to do so.

3. Understand how your taxes are determined

The government decides how much tax you owe by dividing your taxable income into chunks — also known as tax brackets — and each chunk gets taxed at the corresponding tax rate. The beauty of this is that no matter which bracket you’re in, you likely won’t pay that tax rate on your entire income.

The progressive tax system in the United States means that people with higher taxable incomes are subject to higher federal income tax rates, while those with lower taxable incomes are subject to lower rates.

Federal income taxes are just a piece of the tax pie. Most states have income taxes, too, and how those work usually depends on where you live and your residency status. For example, some states follow a progressive system, much like the federal government, while others tax income at a flat rate. Nine states, such as Alaska and Wyoming, don't have a state income tax.

» Ready to crunch the numbers? Try NerdWallet’s free tax calculator

4. Decide how to file your taxes

There are three main ways to file taxes:

Fill out IRS Form 1040 by hand and mail it (not recommended),
File taxes online using tax software, or
Hire a human tax preparer to do the work of tax filing.

File taxes online with tax software

If you’ve used tax software, you already know how to do taxes online: Once you log in, the program will ask you questions about your life, finances and income to fill out the forms you'll need to submit to the IRS.

Depending on your income, you may be eligible for the IRS Free File program, which can get you free online tax preparation software from several tax-prep companies, including major brands. (Explore other options for free tax filing.)

If you're not eligible for Free File, there's still a world of tax software to choose from. Pricing can depend on the complexity of your return or the amount of support you need. Many major tax software providers also offer access to human preparers or tax help.

Hire and work with a tax preparer or another tax pro

As your financial life gets more complex, or if you just want to save yourself time, you might wonder if you should get someone to prepare and file your taxes. If you just want help understanding all of the forms, you can seek out professional guidance from a tax preparer. If you have a business or a healthy side gig, on the other hand, you might consider working with a local CPA.

And if you don't want to meet in person with a tax preparer, there’s a way to file taxes without leaving the house. A secure portal lets you share documents electronically with a tax preparer. Typically, the preparer will email you a link to the portal, you’ll set up a password, and then you can upload pictures or PDFs of your tax documents.

» Vetting a tax preparer: How to find a reputable CPA near you

5. Gather tax filing information

You’ll need to do this whether you hire a tax preparer or file yourself. The goal is to gather proof of income, expenses that might be tax-deductible or win you a tax credit, and evidence of taxes you already paid throughout the year. Our tax prep checklist has more guidance, but here’s a short version of what to round up:

Social Security numbers for yourself, as well as for your spouse and dependents, if any.
Your W-2 form, which tells you how much you earned in the past year and how much you already paid in taxes. (If you had more than one job, you might have more than one W-2.)
1099 forms, which are a record of someone other than your employer giving or paying you money.
Retirement account contributions.
Property taxes and mortgage interest.
Charitable donations.
State and local taxes you paid.
Educational expenses.
Unreimbursed medical bills.
2024 federal and state tax returns.

» MORE: Make sure you're not overlooking any of these popular tax breaks

6. File and settle up with the IRS

If you owe taxes

There are plenty of ways to send money to the IRS. Electronic payments, wire transfers, debit and credit cards, checks and even cash are among your options.
If you can’t pay your taxes all at once, an option might be an IRS payment plan, which is an agreement you make directly with the agency to pay your federal tax bill over a certain amount of time. There are two kinds of IRS payment plans: short term and long term. Either way, typically you’ll make monthly payments to settle what you owe.

» MORE: 10 ways to make an IRS payment

If you’re getting a tax refund

There are a few things you can do to make sure your money hits your bank account as quickly as possible:

Avoid filing your tax return on paper. The IRS can take four weeks or more to process a paper return. When you file taxes online, on the other hand, your return should be processed in about three weeks
Internal Revenue Service. Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed Dec 18, 2024.
View all sources
. State tax filing authorities also accept electronic tax returns, which means you may be able to get your state tax refund faster, too.
Sign up for a bank account with direct deposit if you don't have one. The IRS is phasing out paper checks in most cases, so if you don't have a bank account with direct deposit, consider opening one if possible to avoid delays in your refund
Internal Revenue Service. IRS To Phase Out Paper Tax Refund Checks Starting With Individual Taxpayers. Accessed Jan 8, 2026.
View all sources
.
Track your refund. You can track the status of your IRS refund and your state refund online.

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NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.

1.Internal Revenue Service. Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed Dec 18, 2024.
2.Internal Revenue Service. IRS To Phase Out Paper Tax Refund Checks Starting With Individual Taxpayers. Accessed Jan 8, 2026.

About the authors

Sabrina Parys

Sabrina Parys is an editor and content strategist on the taxes and investing team at NerdWallet. Previously, she was a copy editor and associate editor in academic and educational publishing. Sabrina graduated from CUNY Hunter College with bachelor's degree in English. She also holds a master's degree in book publishing from Portland State University. Sabrina is based in Brooklyn, New York.

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Tina Orem

Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and an MBA. Previously, she was a financial analyst and director of finance at public and private companies. Tina's work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets.