Louisiana taxpayers are now eligible to file their 2022 tax refunds.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, requests for federal returns can also be submitted, online.
Rose Isidore is the Owner of R & R Tax Services in Lafayette and Broussard, LA.
She said she has been in the tax industry for more than 45 years and filing taxes early, does not necessarily mean taxpayers will be refunded, faster.
"Once we file the taxes and we send them electronically to the IRS, they're going to process it," Isidore said. "They're going to send it back. How long it's going to take as of right now, we don't know."
Isidore said many parents may notice a difference between their tax refunds this year, as opposed to last year.
"The tax amount is going to be smaller, but it's only because last year when President Biden added the extra tax credit for children," Isidore said. "That gave them a large check, and everyone understood at that time, that was a one-time thing."
Several tax specialists in Lafayette said they encourage people to seek professional services when it comes to tax filing.
"I would not file my taxes myself, unless I had some accounting background" Isidore said. "There's so many things that you can take advantage of that you may not know of."
Gena Vincent is the Assistant District Manager for Lafayette's Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. She said she recommends people schedule appointments to meet with preparers, ahead of time.
"There's a whole, host of documents that they may or may not need, depending on their individual circumstances," Vincent said. "Most people have W-2s from their employers, they could have different types of 10-99s, if they pulled money out of a retirement that they have from social security, unemployment, lots of different types of 10-99s they could have."
Vincent warns taxpayers to be aware of the risks associated with providing confidential information and advocates for professional tax-filing services.
"Our preparers are not trying to find out any information that they don't necessarily need," Vincent said. "It's just, additional questions to help them assess the different things that you may qualify for, legally."
According to Vincent, the deadline to file your taxes in Louisiana is April 18. However, if you miss the deadline, some people may be eligible for an extension, which runs until Oct. 16.
