Tax filing season is underway in Virginia, Virginia Tax announced last week, with taxpayers invited to file their individual income tax returns.

“Last year, of the more than 4.4 million returns submitted and processed in Virginia, 85 percent were filed electronically,” said Virginia Tax Commissioner Craig M. Burns. “This year, we strongly encourage you to file electronically as well and request a refund, if you have one coming, via direct deposit. That’s especially important now because, due to COVID-19 workplace protocols, it could take longer than what’s typical to process a paper return.”

Generally, it takes up to four weeks to process an electronically-filed return and up to eight weeks to process a paper return.

Although Virginia Tax has started processing returns, the General Assembly is continuing to make decisions about the state’s conformity to the federal tax code. That means some taxpayers, depending on their situation, may need to file an amended return once those...