Tax law changes included in last year’s budget delayed the Department of Revenue’s finalization of tax forms, updates for tax systems, and approval of tax preparation software. Accurately processing 2021 tax year returns and issuing refunds in a timely manner is a priority for DOR, the department said.

“DOR staff are working continuously on testing and certification requirements that are necessary in order to open the North Carolina tax season and have made significant progress,” according to the department. “The target date to open the tax season is the week of February 28. Taxpayers can expect to begin to receive refunds in early April. We continue to encourage taxpayers to file electronically.” 

Specifically, in regards to certifying tax preparation software, staff is working diligently to approve these requests. Tax software providers are notified by DOR once their software is approved, thus allowing taxpayers to begin filing their tax returns. Some software products have already been approved. 

The list of approved tax preparation software products for businesses can be found at this link.

The list of approved tax software products for individual income tax can be found at this link.

Other products are being approved on a daily basis. Taxpayers should routinely check to confirm if their tax preparation software has been approved.