Key Tax Deadlines

The IRS began accepting and processing 2025 federal income tax returns on January 26, 2026. Returns prepared before that date were held by tax software and submitted automatically once the IRS opened. Filing earlier in the season typically means a faster refund.

No. Filing Form 4868 extends your filing deadline from April 15 to October 15, 2026 — but any taxes owed are still due by April 15. Unpaid balances after that date accrue the 0.5% per month failure-to-pay penalty plus interest, regardless of whether you filed an extension. To minimize penalties, estimate what you owe and pay it by April 15 even if you plan to file later.

Two separate penalties can apply:

• Failure to file: 5% of unpaid tax per month, capped at 25%. This is the larger penalty and the main reason to always file on time (or request an extension) even if you can't pay.
• Failure to pay: 0.5% of unpaid tax per month, also capped at 25%. This applies even if you filed an extension.

If both apply simultaneously, the failure-to-file rate is reduced by the failure-to-pay rate (net 4.5% per month). If you owe nothing — or are due a refund — there is no penalty for filing late.

You avoid the underpayment penalty if your total tax payments (withholding + estimated payments) cover the smaller of:

• 90% of your current-year tax liability, or
• 100% of your prior-year tax liability (110% if your prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately).

The prior-year test is often easier to use because you know the exact number. High earners should note the 110% threshold — simply matching last year's bill is not enough if AGI exceeded $150k.

Contributions made after April 15, 2026 count toward tax year 2026, not 2025. To get a deduction (traditional IRA) or count toward the 2025 contribution limit (Roth IRA), contributions must be made by April 15, 2026. The same April 15 deadline applies to HSA contributions for tax year 2025. There is no extension for contribution deadlines even if you file a return extension.

The statutory deadline for employers to furnish W-2s and for payers to send 1099-NEC forms is January 31. Because January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday, the IRS-adjusted deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026. If you have not received your W-2 by mid-February, contact your employer — and if still unresolved, you can request a substitute W-2 (Form 4852) from the IRS. Most other 1099 forms (1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-MISC) also have a February 2 recipient deadline in 2026.

The IRS began accepting and processing 2025 federal income tax returns on January 26, 2026. Returns prepared before that date were held by tax software and submitted automatically once the IRS opened. Filing earlier in the season typically means a faster refund.

No. Filing Form 4868 extends your filing deadline from April 15 to October 15, 2026 — but any taxes owed are still due by April 15. Unpaid balances after that date accrue the 0.5% per month failure-to-pay penalty plus interest, regardless of whether you filed an extension. To minimize penalties, estimate what you owe and pay it by April 15 even if you plan to file later.

Two separate penalties can apply:

• Failure to file: 5% of unpaid tax per month, capped at 25%. This is the larger penalty and the main reason to always file on time (or request an extension) even if you can't pay.
• Failure to pay: 0.5% of unpaid tax per month, also capped at 25%. This applies even if you filed an extension.

If both apply simultaneously, the failure-to-file rate is reduced by the failure-to-pay rate (net 4.5% per month). If you owe nothing — or are due a refund — there is no penalty for filing late.

You avoid the underpayment penalty if your total tax payments (withholding + estimated payments) cover the smaller of:

• 90% of your current-year tax liability, or
• 100% of your prior-year tax liability (110% if your prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately).

The prior-year test is often easier to use because you know the exact number. High earners should note the 110% threshold — simply matching last year's bill is not enough if AGI exceeded $150k.

Contributions made after April 15, 2026 count toward tax year 2026, not 2025. To get a deduction (traditional IRA) or count toward the 2025 contribution limit (Roth IRA), contributions must be made by April 15, 2026. The same April 15 deadline applies to HSA contributions for tax year 2025. There is no extension for contribution deadlines even if you file a return extension.

The statutory deadline for employers to furnish W-2s and for payers to send 1099-NEC forms is January 31. Because January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday, the IRS-adjusted deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026. If you have not received your W-2 by mid-February, contact your employer — and if still unresolved, you can request a substitute W-2 (Form 4852) from the IRS. Most other 1099 forms (1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-MISC) also have a February 2 recipient deadline in 2026.

The IRS began accepting and processing 2025 federal income tax returns on January 26, 2026. Returns prepared before that date were held by tax software and submitted automatically once the IRS opened. Filing earlier in the season typically means a faster refund.

No. Filing Form 4868 extends your filing deadline from April 15 to October 15, 2026 — but any taxes owed are still due by April 15. Unpaid balances after that date accrue the 0.5% per month failure-to-pay penalty plus interest, regardless of whether you filed an extension. To minimize penalties, estimate what you owe and pay it by April 15 even if you plan to file later.

Two separate penalties can apply:

• Failure to file: 5% of unpaid tax per month, capped at 25%. This is the larger penalty and the main reason to always file on time (or request an extension) even if you can't pay.
• Failure to pay: 0.5% of unpaid tax per month, also capped at 25%. This applies even if you filed an extension.

If both apply simultaneously, the failure-to-file rate is reduced by the failure-to-pay rate (net 4.5% per month). If you owe nothing — or are due a refund — there is no penalty for filing late.

You avoid the underpayment penalty if your total tax payments (withholding + estimated payments) cover the smaller of:

• 90% of your current-year tax liability, or
• 100% of your prior-year tax liability (110% if your prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately).

The prior-year test is often easier to use because you know the exact number. High earners should note the 110% threshold — simply matching last year's bill is not enough if AGI exceeded $150k.

Contributions made after April 15, 2026 count toward tax year 2026, not 2025. To get a deduction (traditional IRA) or count toward the 2025 contribution limit (Roth IRA), contributions must be made by April 15, 2026. The same April 15 deadline applies to HSA contributions for tax year 2025. There is no extension for contribution deadlines even if you file a return extension.

The statutory deadline for employers to furnish W-2s and for payers to send 1099-NEC forms is January 31. Because January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday, the IRS-adjusted deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026. If you have not received your W-2 by mid-February, contact your employer — and if still unresolved, you can request a substitute W-2 (Form 4852) from the IRS. Most other 1099 forms (1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-MISC) also have a February 2 recipient deadline in 2026.

The IRS began accepting and processing 2025 federal income tax returns on January 26, 2026. Returns prepared before that date were held by tax software and submitted automatically once the IRS opened. Filing earlier in the season typically means a faster refund.

No. Filing Form 4868 extends your filing deadline from April 15 to October 15, 2026 — but any taxes owed are still due by April 15. Unpaid balances after that date accrue the 0.5% per month failure-to-pay penalty plus interest, regardless of whether you filed an extension. To minimize penalties, estimate what you owe and pay it by April 15 even if you plan to file later.

Two separate penalties can apply:

• Failure to file: 5% of unpaid tax per month, capped at 25%. This is the larger penalty and the main reason to always file on time (or request an extension) even if you can't pay.
• Failure to pay: 0.5% of unpaid tax per month, also capped at 25%. This applies even if you filed an extension.

If both apply simultaneously, the failure-to-file rate is reduced by the failure-to-pay rate (net 4.5% per month). If you owe nothing — or are due a refund — there is no penalty for filing late.

You avoid the underpayment penalty if your total tax payments (withholding + estimated payments) cover the smaller of:

• 90% of your current-year tax liability, or
• 100% of your prior-year tax liability (110% if your prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately).

The prior-year test is often easier to use because you know the exact number. High earners should note the 110% threshold — simply matching last year's bill is not enough if AGI exceeded $150k.

Contributions made after April 15, 2026 count toward tax year 2026, not 2025. To get a deduction (traditional IRA) or count toward the 2025 contribution limit (Roth IRA), contributions must be made by April 15, 2026. The same April 15 deadline applies to HSA contributions for tax year 2025. There is no extension for contribution deadlines even if you file a return extension.

The statutory deadline for employers to furnish W-2s and for payers to send 1099-NEC forms is January 31. Because January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday, the IRS-adjusted deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026. If you have not received your W-2 by mid-February, contact your employer — and if still unresolved, you can request a substitute W-2 (Form 4852) from the IRS. Most other 1099 forms (1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-MISC) also have a February 2 recipient deadline in 2026.