A recent Wall Street Journal article detailed the slightly different time frame US tax payers have to file their returns this year.  Due to the 16-day government shutdown in October of this year, the IRS has pushed the beginning of filing back ten days from its original January 21 start date.

The IRS has stated that it will not process paper tax returns filed before January 31^st, so there is no advantage to filing that way.  If a tax payer wants to file electronically, many tax-preparation software companies will accept tax returns before January 31^st, and hold them until the opening date.  Taxpayers filing electronically can expect a much faster refund if they utilize direct deposit.

While there are no plans to push back the April 15^th deadline for filing returns, the IRS will allow anyone to request an automatic six-month extension to file their tax return.