Tax Day is only five days away now, but the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says it is not too late for Americans to create an individual IRS Online account—a tool that makes it easier for taxpayers to keep an eye on their return data, check when they are going to get their refund, and make and view payments.

Why It Matters

April 15, 2025, is the day by which individual income tax returns for fiscal year 2024 are due to be submitted to the federal government. The IRS previously said it expected more than 140 million individual tax returns to be filed ahead of this deadline, but recent data shared by CNN showed that the agency has so far received nearly 1 million fewer at this point than it did during the same period last year.

The reason may be linked to growing uncertainty around the IRS and its work, as Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has directed the agency to make deep staffing and funding cuts this year.

What To Know

As of late March, the IRS had processed only 69.6 million federal income tax returns, down 1.4 percent from the 70.5 million processed at that same time a year earlier. By the same time, it had received 88.5 million returns, down 0.3 percent from the 90.3 million received by late March 2024.

With only a few days to go before Tax Day, things may get frantic for taxpayers who have not yet filed their returns, or who still owe payments to the federal government.

In a news release issued on Wednesday, the IRS urged taxpayers in this situation to access or create their IRS Online accounts, which would allow them to:

• View key details from their most recent tax return, such as adjusted gross income;
• Request an Identity Protection PIN and access it throughout the year;
• Check the status of a refund;
• Get account transcripts, including wage and income records;
• Sign tax forms, such as power of attorney and tax information authorizations;
• View and edit language preferences and request alternative media;
• Receive and view over 200 IRS electronic notices;
• View, make and cancel payments;
• Set up or modify payment plans and check their balance.

Taxpayers with an IRS Online account can also use it to download the following tax documents:

• Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement;
• Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement;
• Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation.

A sign for the Internal Revenue Service on its building on February 13, 2025, in Washington D.C. A sign for the Internal Revenue Service on its building on February 13, 2025, in Washington D.C. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

The account can also be used to keep track of information filed and reported by employers, financial institutions, government agencies and other payers to both the payees and the IRS, including:

• ​​Form 1099-DIV, Dividends and Distributions;
• Form 1099-SA, Distributions From an HSA, Archer MSA or Medicare Advantage MSA;
• Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings;
• Form 1099-INT, Interest Income;
• Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income;
• Form 1099-R, Distributions from Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.

What’s Next

While most taxpayers are likely to file by April 15, those who have applied and received approval for an extension will have until October 15 to file their tax returns. They still need to pay any taxes they owe by April 15.