ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The 2023 Illinois tax filing season begins today, and the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) will begin accepting 2022 state individual income tax returns with an improved system.

MyTax Illinois has been improved this year to make filing taxes much easier. The electronic management system enables taxpayers to report income and claim credits and payments, pay taxes electronically or receive refunds quickly with direct deposit, and receive immediate confirmation after returns are submitted.

“Taxpayers are encouraged to file electronically as early as possible in the tax season and choose direct deposit in order to ensure the fastest processing and issuance of any refunds,” IDOR Director David Harris said. “I encourage taxpayers to try My Tax Illinois which allows taxpayers to file returns with or without an account, operates with a simple question and answer format, and works to reduce errors.”

IDOR said they received a total of nearly 6.2 million IL-1040 returns last year. More than 90% of them were filed electronically. Over $62 million in fraudulent or erroneous refunds were also prevented from being issued in 2022.

This year, taxpayers are also encouraged to protect their personal information and stay alert to phone scams or phishing emails. If a taxpayer electronically files an error-free return, they should receive a direct deposit refund in approximately four weeks.

In addition to being able to file Form IL-1040 for free through the system, individuals can use the site to make payments, respond to department inquiries, and check the status of their refunds here. The system also allows taxpayers to look up Illinois-Personal Identification Numbers.

The IRS begins accepting federal individual income tax returns today too. The 2023 tax filing deadline is April 18.

More information regarding Illinois taxes can be here found here.