Home > West Virginia Tax Department Announces Filing Season Begin Date
West Virginia Tax Department Announces Filing Season Begin Date
In conjunction with the opening of filing season announced by the IRS, the West Virginia State Tax Department will begin accepting electronically filed tax returns on Monday, January 28, 2019. Additionally, the Tax Department will begin processing paper returns at that time. The due date of the West Virginia personal income tax return is April 15, 2019.
Software companies and tax professionals may begin preparing and accepting tax returns prior to that date, but will not submit until the WV State Tax Department’s systems are open on January 28th.
The West Virginia State Tax Department encourages taxpayers to file their returns electronically to ensure faster processing. A taxpayer may file their return using any vendor approved by the State Tax Department. A list of approved vendors can be found here:
Approved E-File Vendors.
Additionally, over 70% of taxpayers are eligible for free filing services from vendor partners who are participating in West Virginia’s free file program (a program for low income taxpayers to file free electronically). A list of those approved free file vendors, along with program requirements, can be found here:
Approved Free E-File Partners.
Due Date is April 15, 2019
As noted above, the filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is Monday, April 15, 2019.
Refunds in 2019
Choosing e-file and direct deposit for refunds remains the fastest and safest way to file an accurate income tax return and receive a refund. Approximately 80% of tax returns will be prepared electronically using tax software.
While the Tax Department does not guarantee a timeframe for refunds, it expects to issue 85% of refunds within three weeks. The remaining 15% may be delayed due to a more intensive review of your return. Some common reasons for additional review include:
If your return is stopped for review, it may take up to 90 days to process your refund claim. Please check to see if your return is received, and its current stage, by clicking the “Where’s my Refund” link at our web portal and providing your Social Security Number and refund amount. Our web portal is located at:
https://mytaxes.wvtax.gov/_/
If your refund has not been processed within 90 days of the filing of your return, please give us a call at our Taxpayer Services Center at (800) 982-8297.
Fraud in 2019
The West Virginia State Tax Department is particularly concerned with income tax fraud. The Department has been working with the IRS and tax industry and state revenue departments as part of a Security Summit initiative to continue strengthening processing systems to protect taxpayers from identity theft and refund fraud. The IRS and Summit partners are continuing to improve these safeguards to further protect taxpayers filing in 2019.
One method of protection is to have taxpayers validate that they filed their return. Certain taxpayers may receive letters from the Department instructing them to go to our web portal and provide information about the return (Last Name, Social Security Number and Refund Amount requested) along with a validation PIN provided in the letter to validate that the return is not a fraudulent filing. Please use the web portal to inform us that the return is fraudulent if you did not authorize the filing of the return.
If you have any concerns about fraud, or believe you may be a victim of tax fraud, you can find information on our website about what to do at:
http://tax.wv.gov/Individuals/TaxRefundFraud/Pages/TaxRefundFraud.aspx.
Tax Information and Assistance: (304) 558-3333 or (800) 982-8297
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