What is tax file deadline

September 15, October 17, Extended individual tax returns due If you got a filing extension on your tax return, you need to complete it and e-file or have it postmarked by October 17, What if I miss a tax deadline? If you missed one of these key tax deadlines, you have options.

Those options depend on what deadline was missed and whether you owe money or are due a refund. If you overpaid for the tax year, there's typically no penalty for filing your tax return late.

However, you should file as soon as possible. Generally, you have three years from the tax return due date to claim a tax refund. That means for tax returns, the window closes in After three years, unclaimed tax refunds typically become the property of the U. When you miss a tax filing deadline and owe money to the IRS, you should file your tax return as soon as possible. Every day your tax return is delinquent, the IRS typically charges interest, failure to file penalties and failure to pay penalties until you file your return and pay the balance due.

If you miss an estimated tax payment , make your payment as soon as you can. The penalties and interest the IRS charges depend on how much you owe and how late you are, but you can minimize the damage by making your payment as soon as possible. This year, many people are dealing with financial troubles due to the pandemic, job loss and other factors. If you're one of them, you may not have the funds available to pay your tax bill by the deadline.

But don't put off filing just because you can't afford to pay the amount due on the day you need to file your tax return. The IRS starts charging penalties and interest on the day the return is due, no matter when you file. You can minimize the failure-to-file penalties by filing as soon as possible, paying as much as you can when you file and setting up an installment plan for the balance.

E-filing your tax return to the IRS is more secure than paper filing. Because the tax return is electronically transmitted to the IRS, you don't have to worry about it getting lost in the mail or arriving late. You'll also get confirmation right away that the IRS received your return and has started processing it.

If you're waiting on a tax refund, the fastest way to get your money is to have it electronically deposited into your bank account. Don't let a looming tax deadline force you to rush through the tax filing process and make a mistake on your return. Maine and Massachusetts residents have until April 19 to file their federal returns, as April 18 is Patriot's Day in those two states. The deadline for filers requesting an extension is Oct.

Additionally, filers have just under two weeks until they can start submitting their federal tax returns: The tax filing season begins Jan. That's a return to the norm after the filing season was delayed a few weeks last year so the IRS could make preparations for Covid relief programs, and the deadline was moved to May Though much of the federal Covid relief for individuals has already been distributed, much of it can still affect tax returns , including the third stimulus check, unemployment insurance changes, the federal student loan pause and the enhanced child tax credit.

The IRS encourages everyone to have all the information they need in hand to make sure they file a complete and accurate return. Having an accurate tax return can avoid processing delays, refund delays and later IRS notices. This is especially important for people who received advance Child Tax Credit payments or Economic Impact Payments American Rescue Plan stimulus payments in ; they will need the amounts of these payments when preparing their tax return.

Like last year, there will be individuals filing tax returns who, even though they are not required to file, need to file a return to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit to receive the tax credit from the stimulus payments or reconcile advance payments of the Child Tax Credit. People who don't normally file also could receive other credits. The filing deadline to submit tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Monday, April 18, , for most taxpayers.

By law, Washington, D. The due date is April 18, instead of April 15, because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia for everyone except taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts.

Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19, , to file their returns due to the Patriots' Day holiday in those states. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Monday, October 17, , to file. Rettig noted that IRS employees continue to work hard on critical areas affected by the pandemic, including processing of tax returns from last year and record levels of phone calls coming in.

This is frustrating for taxpayers, for IRS employees and for me," Rettig said. And we will continue to look for ways to improve. We want to deliver as much as possible while also protecting the health and safety of our employees and taxpayers. Additional resources are essential to helping our employees do more in — and beyond. The IRS continues to reduce the inventory of prior-year individual tax returns that have not been fully processed. As of December 3, , the IRS has processed nearly million tax returns.

All paper and electronic individual refund returns received prior to April have been processed if the return had no errors or did not require further review. Taxpayers generally will not need to wait for their return to be fully processed to file their tax returns and can file when they are ready.

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