Mark your tax calendar: Key 2023 federal tax dates
Friday, January 27, 2023
The first week of the 2023 tax filing season is in the books. But there are lots of other tax dates to look forward to, or at least be aware of, this year.
As happens every year, there are the normal conflicts that delay some of them a bit. They are the traditional deadline shift the Internal Revenue Service institutes when tax due dates fall on weekends or federal holidays. The original date gets bumped to the next business day.
The legal holidays in 2023 that could affect tax deadlines are —
- January 2, New Year's Day (observed)
- January 16, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- February 20, Washington's Birthday
- April 17, District of Columbia Emancipation Day (observed)
- May 29, Memorial Day
- June 19, Juneteenth National Independence Day
- July 4, Independence Day
- September 4, Labor Day
- October 9, Columbus Day (yes, Uncle Sam still officially recognizes the Italian explorer, despite the White House's dual recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day)
- November 10, Veterans Day (observed)
- November 23, Thanksgiving Day
- December 25, Christmas Day
The key 2023 individual tax dates below will indicate where these holidays require changes.
But before the calendar notations begin, a few added notations.
First, most of the following dates apply to individual taxes. You can find more business tax deadlines in the IRS' online tax calendar.
Second, even if you're an early filer, take at least a cursory glance at all the tax dates. There is at least one federal tax deadline in every month of the year. Obviously, they don't apply to every taxpayer, but it never hurts to know them. Just in case. Especially when it comes to taxes.
Finally, since I'm a tad late with this post, most of the January calendar notations have passed. But I'm including them for consistency's sake and as a reference.
OK, enough with the calendar considerations. Since time is ticking away, here goes.
JANUARY
Tuesday, January 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in December, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
Thursday, January 12 — This was the day the IRS will began accepting electronically filed business returns. It was nice of the federal tax collector to not start the very first available filing option on Friday the 13th.
Friday, January 13 — OK, maybe the IRS is sending a message after all. Free File, the tax agency's partnership with Free File Alliance tax software preparation companies, opened for business today. Eligible taxpayers can use one of the nine no-cost tax prep and e-filing options being offered this filing season by seven Free File participants.
Tuesday, January 17 — This is the due date for the final estimated tax payment for the 2022 tax year. This fourth quarter 1040-ES amount usually is due on Jan. 15, but that's Saturday this year, and Monday, Jan. 16, is the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's federal holiday. So this due date was bumped to today.
Monday, January 23 — The IRS began accepting and processing tax returns from individual taxpayers on this day. If you e-filed earlier, your return was in a holding queue, but was sent on this day by your preparer or tax software provider so the IRS can officially move them through the system.
Tuesday, January 31 — If you didn't pay your final 2022 estimated tax amount a couple of weeks ago, you need to file your full 2022 tax return today to avoid any penalty for not paying it on time.
FEBRUARY
Friday, February 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in January, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
Wednesday, February 15 — If you claimed exemption from income tax withholding last year on the Form W-4 you gave your employer, you must file a new Form W-4 by today to continue your exemption for another year.
MARCH
Wednesday, March 1 — Farmers and fishermen get until today to file their 2022 tax return (Form 1040) to avoid a potential penalty for having paid their final 2022 estimated tax by Jan. 17.
Friday, March 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in February, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
Wednesday, March 15 — This is a key day for business filers. Yes, I know I said earlier that I'm focusing on individual deadlines, but I'm making an exception for the Ides of March. Today is the deadline for partnerships and S Corps to file their returns. Or file for an extension.
APRIL
Saturday, April 1 — Yes, it's April Fools Day, but the IRS isn't fooling around if you turned 72 in 2022. If you celebrated that birthday last year and didn't take your first required minimum distribution (RMD) by Dec. 31, 2022, you must do so by today, April 1. Since this is a Saturday, you should make the withdrawal by Friday, March 31, just to ensure you don't get hit by the substantial penalty assessed for missing your RMD. Then you've got to take an RMD every year by Dec. 31, including this one. That means you'll be getting two distributions from your deferred-tax retirement accounts this year. That means this also is a good day to check into whether multiple RMDs in one year kick you into a higher tax bracket and/or necessitate additional estimated tax payments. And for those of you following retirement law changes, the applicable RMD birthday goes to 73 in 2023.
Monday, April 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in March, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
Tuesday, April 18 — This is the tax year biggie, Tax Day 2023. It's a couple of days late this year because the usual April 15 due date is on Saturday. Then the next business day, Monday, April 17, is the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C. Federal law says that when this mid-April commemoration of the freeing of slaves in the District of Columbia falls on Tax Day, even when it's already delayed, the filing deadline gets moved to the next business day. This calendar convergence pushes Tax Day 2023 to Tuesday, April 18.
This is the day that most of us (more on this in a minute) must file our 2022 tax return and pay any tax due or face late- or non-filing penalties. It's also the due date to file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to get until mid-October to file our paperwork. But the extension is just to file, not to pay any tax due. So today when you send in that form, either as a mailed paper document or electronically, you must pay any tax that you estimate you owe in order avoid penalties and interest.
Tuesday, April 18 also is the deadline (for most of us) to
- Pay our estimated tax amount for the first quarter of 2023 (use Form 1040-ES if mailing in the payment, or pay it electronically)
- Contribute to IRA, traditional or Roth, for the 2022 tax year;
- Withdraw excess 2022 IRA contributions in to avoid penalty (if you didn't file for an extension to finish your Form 1040);
- Contribute, if you're self-employed, to a Solo 401(k) Plan or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan for the 2022 tax year (if you didn't file for an extension to finish your Form 1040);
- Contribute to a health savings account (HSA) for 2022 tax year; and
- File Schedule H (1040) and pay employment taxes for household employees (file Schedule H separately if you are not filing Form 1040).
Now for those who aren't the parenthetical most of us. Tax Day is extended, along with several deadlines that also fall on that day, for taxpayers who live in or have businesses in areas that were declared major disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). You can check out my earlier disaster relief posts at the ol' blog's Storm Warnings recovery page, as well as the special IRS disaster relief page, for places with such extended Tax Days.
MAY
Wednesday, May 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in April, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
JUNE
Monday, June 12 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in May, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070. This usual June 10 deadline moves to Monday this month because it was on Saturday.
Thursday, June 15 — Pay the estimated tax amount for the second quarter of 2023. You can mail the amount using Form 1040-ES and it will be counted as paid on time as long as the envelope bears a June 15, 2023, postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service. Or you can pay electronically.
Thursday, June 15 — This mid-June day also is the deadline for U.S. taxpayers who are living and working abroad, as well as military personnel stationed outside the United States, to file their 2022 tax return. If overseas workers or active-duty members of the armed forces are unable to file today, they can use Form 4868 to request four extra months, until October, to file their forms, but as with the April deadline, the payment of any due tax is not extended.
JULY
Monday, July 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in June, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
AUGUST
Thursday, August 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in July, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
SEPTEMBER
Monday, September 11 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in August, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070. 4070. This deadline is a day later than usual, since Sept. 10 is on Sunday.
Friday, September 15 — Pay the estimated tax amount for the third quarter of 2023. You can mail the amount using Form 1040-ES and it will be counted as paid on time as long as the envelope bears a Sept. 15, 2023, postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service. Or you can pay electronically.
OCTOBER
Tuesday, October 10 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in September, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070.
Monday, October 16 — Is the absolutely final Tax Day 2023 for taxpayers who got an extension to file their 2022 tax year Form 1040. If that's you, you need to get the paperwork to the IRS electronically today, or on its way as an old-school paper filing in an envelope postmarked Oct. 16 by the U.S. Postal Service. This year's deadline is pushed a day later since the usual Oct. 15 extension due date is Sunday.
Monday, October 16 also is the deadline for those who got extensions to
- Withdraw excess IRA 2022 contributions to avoid penalty; and
- Contribute, as self-employed taxpayers, to a Solo 401(k) or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) for the 2022 tax year.
NOVEMBER
Monday, November 13 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in October, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070. This usual Nov. 10 due date moves to Monday because Veterans Day is observed by the federal government on that previous Friday.
DECEMBER
Monday, December 11 — If your job includes tips from customers and you got at least $20 in gratuities in November, you need to report the amount to your employer today using Form 4070. This deadline is shifted because Dec. 10 is on Sunday.
Sunday, December 31 — We finally made it! Tax year 2023 is over. It's also the day to meet some tax deadlines.
Retirees who must take RMDs from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s must do so by today. It's also the last day to make contributions to company retirement plans, such as 401(k)s, for the 2022 tax year.
However, since Dec. 31 is on a Sunday, it's better to be tax safe than sorry. Make sure you meet the official year-end deadline during one of the weekdays preceding it, preferably by Friday, Dec. 29, if at all possible.
State tax considerations, due dates: Finally, don't forget about your state taxes. Most U.S. taxpayers live in a state that also collects some sort of tax.
Most states also follow the IRS calendar. So most will have an April 18 Tax Day, too.
But don't assume. Not only will that result in the old saw that pre-teens love to recite, but it also could cost you if you miss your state's filing due date. The ol' blog's state tax directory has links to the various revenue departments where you can get the latest state tax information, including any deadline changes.
OK, that's it. For now. Mark your electronic or paper (yes, some of us still use them, too) calendars and set reminders set for the upcoming 2023 tax deadlines you must meet.
Then go and enjoy the rest of the non-tax year.
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