Tax Season invokes as much dread as it does excitement. On the front end, it’s paperwork, math, and a stolen Saturday afternoon. On the back end, it’s a deposit into your bank account, ready for big purchases.
For marketers, Tax Season is more than either a deadline or a one-time payout. It’s an opportunity.
Tax Season is a high-velocity financial cycle that starts with 67.7M filers seeking professional expertise and ends with over $211B in tax refunds, much of which flows right back into the consumer market. For just about every industry, this is a prime opportunity to capture the “bonus income” from an average refund of $3.2k, according to the IRS. What’s more, professional services, like tax preparers and accountants, obviously see a massive boost during tax season.
Whether you’re on the service side trying to get consumers through the door to file or on the spending side hoping to capture a share of the $211B in tax refunds, here are some hyper-targeted omnichannel strategies to win the 2026 tax season with GroundTruth Ads Manager.
The Two Phases of Tax Season 2026
Essentially, there are two distinct phases in Tax Season for marketers to focus on: the Service Phase and the Spending Phase.
The Service Phase
Individuals and business owners seeking help with filing their taxes and navigating complex tax rules and regulations.
The Spending Phase
Consumers receiving tax returns who are expected to make major purchases on cars, home improvement, and travel.
Here’s how to tackle each phase using GroundTruth’s pinpoint targeting and ad channels.
The Service Phase
If your audience is made up of people seeking professional assistance related to tax filing, we can help you drive website sign-ups, app downloads, and in-office visits with real-world behavior-powered media strategies. With GroundTruth Ads Manager, you can deliver tailored communications, like deadline reminders from your local tax experts, directly to your audience when they are most receptive across Digital Out-of-Home, CTV, Mobile, Desktop, and Streaming Audio & Podcasts.
But first, let’s look at the who and how for 2026 tax filers:
Most consumers have already begun filing by February, and many plan to work with a personal accountant.
Targeting Tactics for the Service Phase
The “TaxTok” Impact: Per eMarketer, Gen Z filers are engaging with influencers on platforms like TikTok for tax advice. Reach them with targeted Mobile ads to establish your brand as the tax authority
Digital Connectivity: For many tax filers, the customer journey starts and ends online. With GroundTruth’s Web Engagement Pixel, you can build a measurable marketing funnel that results in attributable online sign-ups, app downloads, and more.
Real-World Behavior Targeting: GroundTruth offers behavioral targeting based on actual visitation data, so you can confidently reach “Help Seekers,” such as Financial Institution Visitors or Tax Preparation Office Visitors.
Location Targeting: When your audience is near a key location, like your business or a competitor’s, you can deliver real-time CTAs.
The Spending Phase
Once a consumer has received their tax refund, they’re off to the retail races. With GroundTruth, you can convert refunds into revenue. Using Ads Manager’s media channels and targeting, intercept high-intent shoppers as they plan big purchases, like renovations or travel, driving them straight to your door or website.
Aside from saving or paying down debt, many people plan to put their tax returns toward bigger projects or purchases. Starting as early as February, businesses across verticals will likely start seeing spikes in spending. Now’s your chance to grab your share!
Targeting Tactics for the Spending Phase
Behavioral Audience Targeting: GroundTruth’s Behavioral Audiences aren’t just built on theoretical preferences. They’re built on real-world behavior data, like where people actually shop, eat, spend their free time, and more. Use our Behavior targeting to reach consumers planning big purchases, such as Frequent Travelers or Car Dealership Visitors.
On-Premise Targeting: When consumers are in or nearby areas where purchase decisions are made (think retail areas, inside stores, or at dealerships), you can use GroundTruth’s On-Premise Targeting to reach your audience, allowing you to build campaigns to intercept splurge intent at the point of purchase with Mobile ads.
Retargeting: As any good marketer knows, one touch point typically isn’t enough to drive a sale or conversion. That’s especially true for larger purchases, when consumers spend more time shopping and researching. With GroundTruth Ads Manager, you can go true omnichannel, retargeting across channels. That means a Mobile or Desktop ad view can be retargeted and reached using CTV or Audio, and vice versa, so you can reach your audience with consistent messaging across the media channels they use most.
Make Your Brand a Winner this Tax Season
Don’t let this multi-billion dollar retail season slip by unnoticed. All you have to do is target thoughtfully, start strong, and expand on what works. GroundTruth Ads Manager has every media channel and targeting capability you need to get there.
Create your GroundTruth Ads Manager account today, and start exploring our platform (no minimum spend required). And, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
