IRS will delay April 15 tax deadline by about a month

Photographer: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg

The Internal Revenue Service plans to extend the April 15 tax filing deadline by about a month, which will give taxpayers more time to file returns and pay overdue taxes, according to three people close to the taxpayers. discussions.

The IRS is still in the process of determining what the final deadline will be. The agency plans to set the filing deadline for May 15 or May 17, according to two of the people, who were not allowed to speak publicly because the decision had not been finalized. May 15 is a Saturday, and the IRS typically postpones filing deadlines that fall on a weekend or holiday to the next business day.

The IRS and the Treasury did not respond to requests for comment on the delay.

The reporting extension would give taxpayers additional leeway to meet their tax obligations in what is becoming one of the most complicated tax seasons in decades. The change would come after calls from accountants and congressional leaders to extend the deadline as new legislation and pandemic-related job changes disrupt taxpayers’ plans.

Among the changes this tax season are last-minute changes to the $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill signed earlier this month, which give tax filers a new twist. until $ 10,200 in unemployment benefits. The personal income tax return, Form 1040, is also the mechanism for people to claim the missing $ 1,200 or $ 600 stimulus payments from last year.