Individual Tax Season Starts Today

The Indiana Department of Revenue is accepting tax filings until April 15.

Shutterstock photo.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is now accepting tax filings for the 2021 individual income tax season. Indiana filers have from now until April 15, 2021, to file their individual income tax returns and pay any taxes owed.

“The DOR team has skillfully prepared all our systems and operations for this year’s individual tax filing season,” announced DOR Commissioner Bob Grennes today. “This is our busiest time of year, and we look forward to serving millions of our fellow Hoosiers with the processing of their returns, payments and refunds.”

Whenever possible, DOR recommends electronic filing and payment as electronic processing is higher quality and much quicker than paper processes.  Refunds resulting from electronic filings are issued up to four times faster than paper returns, on average under 14 days.

Looking for some help? Hoosiers have several free options to help them file their taxes including:

• The Indiana freefile program allows over two million qualified Hoosiers that had an adjusted gross income of $72,000 or less in 2020 to file both their state and federal taxes for free using certified online software.
• The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program focuses on helping low- and moderate-income people, with special attention to those over age 50.
• The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify including individuals who generally make $57,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers.
• The Notre Dame Tax Clinic is a federally funded Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) that represents clients in controversies with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and educates individuals about their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers.
• The John Boner Neighborhood Centers is part of Indy Free Tax Prep, Central Indiana’s Network for Free Tax Preparation. As part of the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, they offer free tax preparation and other services to eligible residents.
• Indy Free Tax Prep is a network of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites through the United Way of Central Indiana offering free tax preparation to individuals and families with a combined household income of $66,000 or less.
• The Indiana Legal Services Low Income Taxpayer Clinic serves the community by providing free legal assistance to Indiana taxpayers involved in disputes with the IRS.

Going to need more time to file a return? Individuals who are not able to file by the April 15 deadline can file an extension directly with DOR or with the IRS.  If the IRS extension is granted, the Indiana extension is automatically granted. A timely filed extension moves the federal tax filing deadline to October 15, 2021, and the Indiana filing deadline to November 15, 2021.  

It is important to note that the extension only shifts the filing deadline and not the payment deadline. Ninety percent of the taxes owed are still required to be paid by April 15, 2021, to avoid penalties and interest.

For more helpful information including tax tips, the latest forms and who needs to file can be found on DOR’s website at dor.in.gov.

For questions on individual income taxes, customers may email DOR at IndividualTaxAssistance@dor.in.gov or call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST at 317-232-2240.