If you are one of those tax procrastinators who wait until the very last minute to file your income tax return, then 2012 is going to be a good year for you.
Although in most years, April 15 is the traditional “tax day” in the United States for filing individual income tax returns, in 2012 the filing deadline for individuals to send in their returns to the IRS will be Tuesday, April 17.
The reason for the extra 48 hours to fret and stew over those deductions and credits is that April 15 falls on a Sunday this year. Usually, that would mean that Monday, April 16, would be the filing deadline this year–but thanks to Emancipation Day, individual taxpayers will get an extra day, putting the filing deadline on April 17.
Emancipation Day is a holiday in the District of Columbia, and since D.C. holidays are treated for tax purposes like federal holidays, we all get until April 17 this year to file our 2011 Form 1040s.
Of course, if you’re a real procrastinator, you’ll need to file for an extension by April 17, in which case you’ll have until October 15, 2012, to file your 2011 Form 1040.
If you made a New Year’s resolution to get your taxes done early this year, now is a good time to get started. Drag out those shoeboxes with all those receipts and tax records. Wouldn’t it be great to be finished with your tax return this year before the Super Bowl?