It’s tax season. The Internal Revenue Service began accepting 2024 returns on January 27, 2025. 

IRS spokesperson Luis Garcia says Americans will file more than 140 million individual returns by the April 15 deadline. 

This year, taxpayers can claim higher standard deductions whether they’re filing separately or jointly with a spouse.

Garcia says the higher deduction means most filers shouldn’t have to itemize their deductions.

“Unless you have a lot of medical bills, unless you have a lot of mileage, it’s probably not going to rise to the level of that standard deduction,” he says.

Families could be eligible for certain credits

The IRS is also increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- to moderate-income families with at least three children who qualify.

Garcia says in Michigan, about 20% of EITC-eligible taxpayers don’t apply for the credit.

Read more: Detroit coalition spreads word on tax credits

“A lot of times, it’s families in transition,” he says. “A spouse has passed away or there’s a divorce. And they forget to claim it.”

Some of those families might also be eligible to file their taxes at no cost.

There’s free, then there’s “free”

The IRS offers free filing on its website for individuals who earned less than $78,000 in 2024.

Garcia says the agency works with tax software providers to help people calculate how much they owe the government or how big a refund they’re getting.

But he cautions those who file on their own using third-party tax software could end up paying hidden fees.

“What they’re going to do is put ‘free file’ into a search engine, and then they’re going to click on one of the first entries they get back,” he says. “At the end of that process, after you’ve spent a couple hours inputting all your information, you’ll find out the software is free, but there’s a filing fee or some other charge.”

Garcia says more than half the people who file their 2024 taxes will hire a tax professional. He says they should ask the preparer about any fees upfront, so they’re not surprised at the end of the process.

A tax pro will help people figure out whether they’re getting a refund — and how much — or if they owe money to the IRS. Garcia says in the latter case, they should not hide it from Uncle Sam. 

If you owe, don’t fudge

He says the government offers options to people who can’t afford to pay their taxes, such as payment plans and filing extensions. He also says the IRS sometimes works with taxpayers to reduce their debt.

“Let’s say you owe $10 and we know that within five years, you’re never going to be able to pay it back,” Garcia offers. “What we’ll do is we’ll say, ‘Well, you can pay back $5 and we’ll reduce the amount you owe in total.’”

Garcia says people can visit the IRS website to see what credits they can claim, file online and download forms to print.