The Illinois Department of Revenue will begin processing 2023 tax returns next week, coinciding with the federal Internal Revenue Service beginning its tax filing season.
“We encourage taxpayers to file electronically as early as possible as this will speed processing. If they are due money back, they should choose direct deposit as that ensures the fastest issuance of refunds,” IDOR Director David Harris said in a news release Thursday.
More than six million returns were processed in Illinois last year, with roughly 90 percent filed electronically through the state’s MyTax Illinois portal.
New this year is an increase in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which is now 20 percent of the federal EITC and includes additional groups of taxpayers in younger and older age brackets. Volunteer fire and emergency workers also have a new credit, with those who qualify to receive a $500 credit.
The tax filing deadline is April 15.
