When is the 2012 tax deadline for your 2011 tax return? It’s not when you might think it is this year! Instead of the traditional April 15 deadline, the 2012 tax deadline for your 2011 tax return is April 17, 2012.
Tax Deadline Extended
The deadline to file taxes this year is due to the Emancipation Day holiday. The 2012 tax deadline is extended for everyone even though all states do not observe the holiday. Tax day 2012 is also extended since the traditional April 15 deadline falls on a Sunday this year.
Tax Deadline Postmark
Whether or not you meet the tax deadline is based on the postmark on your taxes. You must have your taxes postmarked by the deadline, but the IRS doesn’t need to receive your taxes by the 2012 tax deadline. If you are using TurboTax, and plan to mail your taxes, deliver it to the post office before closing time on April 17, 2012.
Make sure you check the address if you mail your return on tax day 2012. The IRS changed the mailing address for many taxpayers last year.
If you efile, you’ll also need to submit your return electronically by April 17.
Tax Extensions
If you file for an extension, your tax return will be due six months after the April tax deadline. The tax deadline for extended returns this year is October 15, 2012. You can file Form 4868 to get an automatic extension. However, you still have to pay the tax due by the original tax deadline on April 17.
Tax Deadline Extras
While you are working on your tax return, there are some other deadlines that fall on the same day as the tax deadline.
Retirement Contributions. The tax deadline is also the deadline for making contributions to your IRA and Roth IRA.
Estimated Tax Payments. If you make estimated tax payments, the April tax deadline is also the same day that that estimated tax payments are due for first quarter.
Government Shutdown. You must still file by the tax deadline even if there is a government shutdown impacting tax refunds like we saw last year.
More Tax Filing Information
Tax Refund Dates. Once you file your tax return, see the tax refund cycle chart to find out when to expect your refund.
Filing Delays. If there is an IRS filing delay for any reason, it does not extend the tax deadline. However, the IRS will delay the processing of your tax return.
Tax Filing Online
Now that you know when the 2012 tax deadline is you can go ahead and file your taxes online right now for free with TurboTax!
Just a note on E-Filing. I had a bunch of money I owed one year so I waited to E-File until April 15th. Sounds good – I E-Filed at 8 PM. Well the IRS held onto my tax documents on some “staging server” which did not get it into the queue of the “processing server” until after midnight. Thus my taxes, even though they were e-filed on time, were considered late, and a 10% penalty.
One other note on extensions: your best option is to file an extension online. That way you’re guaranteed to get a response from the IRS and can re-file if your request was rejected. If, on the other hand, you choose to send the IRS your request through the mail, you will never hear anything. That means it may never get to the IRS or it could be rejected. That will mean you’re accumulating late filing penalties without even knowing it.
Unlike what happened to “Big-D” with his taxes, you can e-file extensions right thru midnight without any issues. The IRS has such a long backlog of extensions that they don;t penalize you if technically the extension isn’t accepted until April 16.
If you are mailing your return it is a good idea to send it certified mail as things do get lost in the mail sometimes. If your tax return gets lost in the mail and you have no proof it was sent, then it is the same thing as not filing your return. If you owe taxes and you are sending in your return and payment and it gets lost, you can get hit with some big failure to file penalties. Certified mail is cheap insurance.
If i Wait till the deadline when will i get my return??
Amy, here’s the tax refund cycle chart to see when you’ll get your refund.
Did you know that the real deadline for filing returns IF YOU ARE GETTING A REFUND, is 2 years from the time you first paid tax for a particular year. So, Jan 2009 would be the current timeframe under this rule!
Kenny