Are You Ready for Tax Season? Find Tips and Resources Here!

With the 2026 tax season upon us, the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), have both announced they began accepting and processing 2025 tax returns beginning on Monday, January 26th.

In Illinois, taxpayers may use MyTax Illinois, a free online management program offered by the state for those filing state taxes. The software is open to individuals and businesses, utilized by IDOR, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC). MyTax Illinois also allows taxpayers to make payments, respond to department inquiries, and check the status of returns with the Where's My Refund? site. To access most functions of MyTax Illinois, individuals and businesses are encouraged to create a logon, but some features are available if the taxpayer or businesses chooses to not create one. Businesses must be registered with IDOR, IDES, or ILCC to create a logon.

To know if you are eligible to activate a MyTax Illinois logon, you must:

• Be registered with IDOR, IDES, or ILCC to do business in Illinois, if filing as a business or have a recent history of filing individual income tax returns if you are an individual
• Have a tax account type currently available in MyTax Illinois, and
• Know the specific individual or business identification number required for activation

The last day to file taxes is Tuesday, April 15, 2026, unless a 6-month extension is filed. The IRS estimates more than 140 million individual tax returns will be filed this year ahead of the due date. In Illinois, a 6-month extension is automatically granted, but to avoid interest and penalties, payments must be made on or before April 15th. The IRS also offers a 6-month extension for taxpayers needing extra time. If taxpayers are granted a federal extension, Illinois will automatically honor the extension and apply it to state taxes.

What are the changes to the 2025 Form IL-1040 and schedules?

• The 2025 personal exemption amount is $2,850.

Specific Form Changes

• Form IL-1040
  • Line 42 has been updated to gather additional information for Get Covered Illinois, the state's Health Insurance Marketplace.
  • No longer include certain retirement payments made directly to retired partners reported on Schedule K-1-P and your beneficiary share of payments from certain retirement plans and retirement payments to retired partners reported on Schedule K-1-T on Form IL-1040, Line 5. These amounts should be reported on Schedule M, Line 14.
• Schedule M
  • Added Line 18 in accordance with Public Act 103-0647 (with an effective date of July 2, 2024) which amends IITA Section 203(a) for individuals and allows a subtraction for amounts included in an eligible resident's federal AGI that is attributable to medical debt relief received by the taxpayer under the provisions of the Medical Debt Relief Act. This subtraction is effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025.
  • For tax year 2025 and after, report certain retirement payments made directly to retired partners reported on Schedule K-1-P and your beneficiary share of payments from certain retirement plans and retirement payments to retired partners reported on Schedule K-1-T on Schedule M, Line 14.
• Schedule IL-E/EITC
  • Page 1, Line 1 - exemption amount increased to $2,850
  • Page 3, Line 12 - Child Tax Credit amount calculation updated to 40%
  • Page 4, Line 16 chart and Line 21 updated with new income limits
• Schedule 1299-C
  • Page 2, Lines 11a-c - diamonds added for prime filer and spouse as data captured fields beginning with the 2025 tax year.

Outside of the federal government and Illinois' free programs, taxpayers have many third-party options that allow for electronic or in-person filing. The IRS and IDOR both maintain locators that allow individuals and businesses to look up qualified tax accountants, attorneys, and professionals. Many third-party sites also have similar lists, if individuals or businesses prefer to use a certain company.

Before filing, whether in-person or online, it is important to have all the necessary information and documentation to successfully file. The IRS and IDOR have checklists for taxpayers to utilize that may be found on their respective websites.

Below are some additional tips to use this tax season:

• IRS Tax Checklist- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• IDOR Tax Checklist- Illinois Dept. of Revenue (IDOR)
• VITA/TCE Tax Preparer Locator- IRS Treasury
• Tax Preparer Locator- IRS Treasury
• Due Date/Extension to File Income Tax Return- IDOR
• Get an extension to file your tax return- IRS
• Free Tax Preparation Resources- IDOR