(KTLA) – The Internal Revenue Service announced on Thursday that the agency will start accepting and processing 2022 tax returns on Jan. 23.

The last day for Americans to file their returns will be April 18, three days after the usual April 15 deadline, due to a holiday weekend.

The agency is expecting about 168 million tax returns, a news release stated.

The IRS also announced that taxpayers would have access to more resources and assistance, mainly due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August.

“With these new additional resources, taxpayers and tax professionals will see improvements in many areas of the agency this year,” the IRS said. “We’ve trained thousands of new employees to answer phones and help people. While much work remains after several difficult years, we expect people to experience improvements this tax season.”

The IRS will offer free tax filing services for anyone who needs help with their returns.

Taxpayers who made $73,000 or less in 2022 can use the IRS Free File service beginning on Jan. 13; however, those returns won’t be processed until the 2023 tax season starts on Jan. 23, the news release said.

More information about the different programs is available on the government website.

Americans are encouraged to have all the necessary information before filing their tax returns to avoid processing and refund delays and visit the IRS website for answers to commonly asked questions.

Once submitted, Americans can use the Where’s My Refund? link on the IRS website to know when they should expect their refund.  

The agency expects that most people will get their refund within 21 days if their returns were filed electronically,  chose direct deposit as the refund method, and have an error-free return.

People who need to file 2022 returns can check the agency website for the latest information.