Tax and Wealth Advisor Alert: Reminder—April 18 is the Deadline for Individual Returns and More

The filing deadline to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Monday, April 18, 2022. By law, Washington, D.C., holidays impact tax deadlines for everyone in the same way federal holidays do. 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, 2022, to file their returns due to the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Monday, October 17, 2022, to file. Of note, the Monday, April 18 deadline is the deadline for more than just individual returns and extensions. Here is a list of some other April 18 deadline items that IRS has noted:

• Individual return extension requests. Taxpayers can extend the deadline beyond April 18, 2022, by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Filing an extension moves the filing deadline from April 18, 2022, to October 15, 2022. You can also get an extension by paying all or part of your estimated income tax due with Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or a credit or debit card.
• Contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts. Taxpayers only have until April 18, 2022, to make 2021 contributions to individual retirement arrangements (IRAs), Roth IRAs, health savings accounts, Archer medical savings accounts, and Coverdell education savings accounts—even if they file for an extension.
• Self-employed persons retirement plan contributions. Self-employed persons have the opportunity to fund SEP and SIMPLE IRAs as well as solo 401(k) plans through the deadline for a timely filed extension.
• Withdrawals of any 2021 contributions to an IRA. Withdrawals of any 2021 contributions to an IRA, including excess 2021 contributions (if you didn’t request a filing extension), are due April 18, 2022. This rule also applies to the following retirement plans: 401(k), 403(b), SARSEP and SIMPLE IRA plans.
• Payroll taxes for household employees. Form 1040, Schedule H (Household Employment Taxes) is due even if you are not required to file Form 1040 itself.
• 2018 unclaimed refunds. The law provides a three-year window to claim a refund. To get any unclaimed refund from 2018, a taxpayer must properly address and mail the tax return, postmarked by April 18, 2022. If a taxpayer does not file a return within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.
• Returns for calendar year tax-exempt organizations. Also due April 18, 2022, are forms in the 990 series, including Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return.
• Foreign trusts and estates. Foreign trusts and estates with federal income tax filing or payment obligations that file Form 1040-NR also have until April 18, 2022, to file or make payment.
• State individual income tax returns for most states. Most states follow the federal due date. However, as mentioned above, taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19, 2022, to file their returns due to the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states. The filing due date for Wisconsin is April 18, 2022.  Nevertheless, if you need more time to file, Wisconsin offers an extension. Wisconsin does not have its own separate extension application. If taxpayers have an approved federal tax extension (Form 4868), they will automatically receive a Wisconsin tax extension. Filing a federal extension moves the Wisconsin filing deadline from April 18, 2022, to October 15, 2022.

Timely and Accurate Mailing

The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file their returns or extensions. If you are planning on filing a paper return, extension or even paying by check, be sure to put the return, extension and/or check in first-class mail by the due date. As long as your return is postmarked by the due date, the IRS considers your return or extension to be filed on time. In the event of a dispute, you need to prove that you mailed your tax return or extension on time. Stating that you mailed the return won’t be enough proof without additional documentation. The best method is to send by registered mail which is confirmed by  Section 7502(c) of the Tax Code.

It is also important for taxpayers to check that the any tax forms or payments are sent to the correct address. The correct address should be listed on the instructions to the form you are filing, but the IRS’s website also provides a listing here. In addition to mailing through the U.S. Postal Office, certain private delivery services designated by the IRS can also be used. See the IRS’s list here. Note that many private delivery services cannot deliver to a P.O. box, but you can find a list of addresses for private delivery services on the IRS’s website.

For questions or further information relating to the tax filing deadlines, please contact Attorney Britany E. Morrison.