Oh, tax season—gotta love it, right?
Now, filing your taxes can be very confusing at times—I know I struggle every year—but we wanted to simplify things for you as much as possible. So, we've put together a full breakdown of everything you need to know prior to filing, to help ease the stress of doing your taxes. You're welcome.
When Is Tax Day in 2024?
Tax Day is typically on April 15 each year. Although, in some states, it falls on April 18 or even later.
You are able to file an extension for October 15. However, it's important to note that even if you file for an extension, if you owe money, you must make those income tax payments by April 15 to avoid interest and penalties.
The IRS publishes Publication 509 (updated annually), and it includes the entire tax calendar for the year.
When Are State Taxes Due?
Each state is in charge of determining its tax filing date. But don't worry, you won't have to go through a bunch of documents to try and figure out what date your state taxes are due. Just check out the list below:
- Alabama: April 18
- Alaska: No State Income Tax
- Arizona: April 18
- Arkansas: April 18
- California: April 18
- Colorado: April 15
- Connecticut: April 18
- Delaware: May 2
- District of Columbia: April 18
- Florida: No State Income Tax
- Georgia: April 18
- Hawaii: April 20
- Idaho: April 18
- Illinois: April 18
- Indiana: April 18
- Iowa: May 2
- Kansas: April 18
- Kentucky: April 18
- Louisana: May 15
- Maine: April 19
- Maryland: April 15
- Massachusetts: April 19
- Michigan: April 18
- Minnesota: April 15
- Mississippi: April 15
- Missouri: April 18
- Montana: April 18
- Nebraska: April 15
- Nevada: No State Income Tax
- *New Hampshire: April 15
- New Jersey: April 18
- New Mexico: May 2
- New York: April 18
- North Carolina: April 15
- North Dakota: April 15
- Ohio: April 18
- Oklahoma: April 20
- Oregon: April 18
- Pennsylvania: April 18
- Rhode Island: April 18
- South Carolina: May 2
- South Dakota: April 15
- Tennessee: No State Income Tax
- Texas: No State Income Tax
- Utah: April 20
- Vermont: April 18
- Virginia: May 1
- West Virginia: April 18
- Wisconsin: April 18
- Wyoming: No State Income Tax
*New Hampshire imposes a tax only on interest and dividends, no tax on wages, etc.
What About Federal Taxes?
As stated previously, federal taxes are due by April 15.
As mentioned previously, should you miss filing your taxes by the given deadline, you can get a free extension to October 15. This extension gives you extra time to file, but you still need to pay any owed taxes by April 15. If you don't owe taxes, there isn't a penalty, the IRS will simply keep your refund for longer.
Late payment penalties start at 0.5% per month, with a maximum of 25% of the amount due. If you failed to file for an extension, the penalty goes up to 5% per month with the same 25% maximum penalty. Interest will also be owed on the outstanding balance.
To file for an extension, you'll need to complete IRS Form 4868. This is for an automatic six-month extension on your taxes for those filing a Form 1040, 1040NR, or 1040NR-EZ. You should file a tax extension if you:
- Are owed a refund but can’t get your taxes done on time
- Can pay the estimated amount owed but need more time to file
- Are dealing with a life event such as a family death or divorce, and you need more time to gather documents for your return
- Run out of time to file because you were busy during tax season
