As of Feb. 14, the IRS is now ready to accept 1040 tax returns from taxpayers affected by provisions of legislation passed late in 2010. Taxpayers can now file their 1040 as a paper return or via efile for faster service.

While taxpayers filing the standard 1040 have experienced no delays, taxpayers who claim itemized deductions on Schedule A of the 1040, as well as those claiming college tuition and educator expenses, have had to wait until the IRS had the forms prepared. (Read the IRS notice here.)

The IRS needed more time to incorporate some late tax law changes resulting from the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010, which became law on Dec. 17, 2010. Taxpapers may experience slight delays with the IRS acknowledging receipt of e-file taxes or issuing tax refunds.

According to the IRS, business taxpayers using the Form 1040 series can also file their business taxes now. However, the IRS has delayed certain other business filings for business owners, including one involving payroll.

Employers will have to wait until the IRS is finished tweaking Form 941 Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return for the first quarter of 2011 (the payroll tax return isn't due until April 30, 2011), as well as other tax filings that may be of concern to select businesses and individuals.

The IRS has yet to announce when they'll begin accepting the 941 payroll tax return and the other tax forms listed for processing. We’ll let you know here when you can move forward with these tax filings.